Those men, worthy of being royal guards, actually sensed a strong killing intent while they were fast asleep. They suddenly did a somersault and jumped up, launching an attack on Lanting.
Once one person made a move, the others naturally woke up as well, and they all got up and started fighting with Lan Ting and Zhao Hu's group.
In an instant, the two groups started fighting.
The commotion quickly alerted those outside. The royal guards' first reaction was that they had encountered bandits. Instead of coming to their aid, they blocked the way up the stairs in the main hall, ensuring the safety of the Third Princess before sending a few men to help.
Meanwhile, outside, a group of real bandits who had been waiting until the dead of night to make their move saw that someone had indeed snatched the food from their jaws. Fearing that the good stuff would be taken by someone else, they also rushed in with their broadswords.
Lan Ting and his companions were no pushovers either. In no time, they had successfully dealt with the two men and even conducted a body search. Sure enough, they found a packet of unknown powder in a hidden pocket on one of the men's waists. They immediately suspected it was something bad and threw it into the oil lamp to burn.
They deliberately searched the place again, took a few purses, and then told their men to retreat.
Lan Ting Zhao Hu led his men to retreat, while the bandits outside rushed in, shouting all the while.
"Damn it, I didn't lay a hand on anyone, so who the hell dares to lay a hand on me!"
"Listen up, all of you! All the gold and jewels in this room belong to me and my brothers. Anyone who wants to live, hand over the money!"
Seeing this, Zhao Hu said in a high-pitched voice
"Boss, you've finally arrived! We've run into a tough opponent!"
If you don't come soon, the brothers are leaving us here!
As Zhao Hu finished speaking, one of his men opened a hastily grabbed purse and said in a low voice...
"Boss, we've run into a real spendthrift today! Look, he's using gold melon seeds!"
The bandit leader, initially stunned by Lan Ting's address of "boss," was about to ask who they were working for when another man pulled out a handful of gold nuggets, his eyes practically popping out of their sockets, and waved his hand dismissively.
"Brothers, looks like today's a good day to make a fortune! Let's go, finish this round, and I'll take you to the brothel in the city to broaden your horizons!"
"How dare you! We are the Imperial Guards of the Palace. The people inside are not to be trifled with. Anyone who dares to touch us will be executed along with their entire family!"
Those protecting the Third Princess also shouted in rebuke, but dared not reveal the Third Princess's identity, for fear of ruining her reputation.
Princess Jinghe had also woken up. Hearing the sounds of fighting and the shouts of the bandits below, she trembled with fear, tears streaming down her face, but dared not cry out loud, for fear that the bandits outside would break in.
Although the guard shouted with great force, he was actually terrified inside.
These bandits were clearly a ruthless bunch. In no time, they had taken care of the dozen or so people who were with them in the house. Although they didn't know the identities of those people, they could tell that those people were exceptionally skilled and seemed to have received special training. In the end, they were all dead within fifteen minutes.
There were so many bandits, probably around two hundred, while they only had sixty of them. They didn't have any superhuman abilities, so they were really unsure of themselves.
If we fight them head-on, we might defeat them; if we don't fight them, they'll offend the Third Princess, and even the Emperor will have to punish them.
I must have forgotten to check the almanac before going out; I'm so unlucky!
But what they feared most often came to pass. Just as they were secretly praying that the ruthless bandits would believe him and leave with the money bags, someone in the crowd shouted again.
"He's not talking nonsense, is he? Look at them, how do they look like imperial guards? In the past, when we saw them following princes and the like, they all wore yellow robes!"
Besides, even if that were the case, we've already taken half of it. Running away now would be suicide.
The moment we leave, someone will come to surround and kill us. If they really do it, how will we survive?
"It's better to go all the way..."
The man stopped talking at this point, and the scene suddenly froze.
The bandit leader hesitated for only a moment before waving his hand.
"All of you, get out there! And get it done quickly and cleanly!"
Then, the bandits rushed in from behind, and the sounds of fighting rang out from the front.
Lan Ting and Zhao Hu's men took advantage of the chaos to retreat, disappearing into the vast night.
The guards protecting the Third Princess fought for a while, but seeing that they had suffered heavy losses, they could only send most of their men to hold them off, while sending a few skilled guards to help the Third Princess escape through the back window.
Although there were a few guards behind them, these few thugs took care of them in no time.
Then, the third princess began her escape.
The guards who remained held out for a while, but seeing that the Third Princess had gone far enough, they all took the opportunity to retreat. The bandits, seeing that someone had escaped, could no longer keep quiet and had no choice but to give up. Instead, they ransacked the property and then scattered, breaking up into smaller groups.
The Third Princess, in order to escape, ran all night, her feet bleeding and her hairpins disheveled. The two palace maids were in the same sorry state.
Finally, dawn broke, and the guards protecting them confirmed that the bandits had not pursued them. The Third Princess could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, releasing all the fear she had held back all night. She lay on the ground and cried loudly.
The two palace maids were crying their eyes out.
"Waaaah, Princess, I was so scared! It's too terrifying outside. Shall we go back to the palace?"
The guards then knelt down and said...
"It is my incompetence, Your Highness, please punish me."
The Third Princess naturally wanted to punish them, and was about to start cursing them, even contemplating cutting them up.
But remembering that they were now in the middle of nowhere, and only a few of them were with her, if she killed them, who would escort her to Tai'an Prefecture? So she scolded them a few times and let it go, then gave the order.
"Go to the county government of the next place in Fifth Brother's name and ask them to send troops to suppress the bandits."
If the bandits aren't wiped out, they'll all have to go back home and farm.
A bunch of useless trash!
The guards obsequiously agreed and continued on their way.
The Third Princess originally wanted the two of them to get a carriage to pick them up, but she was afraid of encountering danger, so she had to give up and let the two palace maids carry her.
This made the journey even slower. It took two days to reach a small county town where someone examined the injury and popped the blisters on the foot, applying medicine.
The Third Princess was exhausted, scared, angry, and resentful after this ordeal. Every part of her body, from her feet to her arms and legs, ached. She had never suffered like this before. The Third Princess gritted her teeth and cried her heart out. She also blamed Han Zhongyu and Xie Yushu for this ordeal and vowed to make them taste the same suffering she had endured.
Her feet were bleeding from running, and she had to nurse them back to health for several days. She was also robbed of her money and lost some more during her escape. In the end, she could only buy a few pieces of jewelry that she carried with her and a dilapidated carriage that she didn't like to continue her journey. It has to be said that the Third Princess was quite ruthless when it came to revenge.
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