Chapter 21: Captured

There was silence outside the door, and the man lowered his voice and said, "He has to protect Erlangjun closely and cannot leave. Erlangjun sent me to pass on the message."

Ming Huashang hummed, nodded, and said, "So that's how it is. Wait a moment, I'll pack my things."

Zhaocai looked at Ming Huashang in astonishment, not knowing what she was doing. Ming Huashang turned around and frowned, whispering, "Move your things quickly and lock the door. The person outside is not here to pick us up, but a murderer!"

Ming Huazhang did not have an attendant named Ji Shi by his side. If the man outside really received orders from Ming Huazhang, how could he make up stories about things that were impossible?

So the answer is simple, he was not sent by Ming Huazhang. He was the murderer, who wanted to trick her out as a hostage, or even kill her.

Zhaocai was so frightened that he screamed, but Ming Huashang quickly covered his mouth. The maids were completely stunned, but Ren Yao was the first to react. Without saying a word, he picked up a table, quickly carried it to the door, and held it tightly.

With Ren Yao leading the way, the other servants also responded and hurriedly moved things, moving whatever they could find. Ren Yao stepped on the table with one leg and pushed it hard to the ground. She wanted to know who was playing tricks these days. She quietly approached the wooden door and looked out through the crack.

But as soon as she got closer, she saw an eye. That person was also looking at them through the crack of the door!

Ren Yao's hair stood on end, and he immediately dodged to the side, using his back to press against the door. At almost the same time, a blade pierced through the crack of the door, right at the position where Ren Yao had just been. If Ren Yao had been a moment slower, he would have been hit.

The opponent didn't hesitate when his attack missed. He immediately turned around to pick up the bolt and kicked the door hard.

The man outside was incredibly strong, and the sound of him kicking the door was so loud that it felt like the entire yard was shaking. Ren Yao and several of the servants who were holding the door together were all trembling.

The maids screamed in fear and scrambled to hide. Ming Huashang did not move, and in an instant she was standing in front of everyone.

She looked calm, called the baby over, pointed at the door and said, "Baby, the man outside is a bad guy. If he comes in, bite him without holding back!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the door was slammed open. The servants fell to the ground, and a burly man holding a knife chopped at everyone he saw. A servant was crawling forward on the ground, and when he saw the snow blade falling from the sky, his legs went limp with fear, and he fell to the ground again, completely unable to react.

At the critical moment, a red light suddenly appeared from the side, and the silver tip of the gun blocked the blade. Ren Yao shouted loudly, and suddenly rotated the gun tip, and the red spear attacked the vital points of the strong man like a swimming dragon.

In the battle between Zhuang Han and him, he was strong and big, and he didn't pay attention to any skills when he used his sword, but just relied on brute force to smash down, which had amazing killing power. However, Ren Jiaqiang was very aggressive, and Ren Yao's weapon was long and fast, which made up for his disadvantage in strength, and he fought back and forth with Zhuang Han.

After Ren Yao came to Feihong Garden, she was either frightened by the dead or by ghosts every day. She had not been able to sleep well for several days. Today, she finally ran into the boy who pretended to be a ghost. She was angry, and she had not practiced shooting for several days, so she wanted to stretch her muscles. She fired the gun faster and faster, forming a phantom in the air, full of vigor and unstoppable.

The strength that the strong man was so proud of was useless at this moment. This was even a woman! He was furious and eager to save face, so his flaws were exposed in his actions. The strong man was about to get angry when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arm, as if a piece of skin and flesh had been torn off.

He turned around and saw a hairy beast.

The baby fell to the ground, its limbs lowered, snorting and baring its teeth threateningly, and there was blood on its claws.

The strong man became more and more enraged and raised his knife to chop the beast to death. Ren Yao took the opportunity to attack and stabbed the strong man in the shoulder.

The strong man's arm was scratched by the lynx, and his shoulder was injured again. The pain finally made him regain some reason. He looked around and found that Miss Ming, who had repeatedly troubled him, was standing in the hall, with a bunch of maids behind her. She stared at him with a pale face and bright eyes, and she was not afraid at all.

Even at this moment, Zhuang Han was still filled with excitement when he saw her. He had noticed her long before he was ordered to follow Chi Lan.

Chi Lan had a plain face, a dull voice, and was clumsy in everything he did. But this young lady was beautiful and smart, and the more he met her, the more surprised he was.

Unfortunately, she is the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo. She is doted on by her father and loved by her brother. The people around her are all young men and women of noble birth and outstanding looks. She is far beyond the dreams of a worthless person like him.

So when he realized he had been discovered, his first thought was to kill her. He was exposed, and even if Princess Taiping spared him, Prince Ding would still kill him. He was going to die anyway, so he might as well fulfill his last wish before he died, and drag down the high and mighty young lady of the Duke's Mansion to be buried with him.

As soon as he got rid of his clothes, he ran straight here. In his opinion, the guards of the nobles were all fancy moves and could not stop his punches. Wouldn't he be able to move freely here? But he didn't expect Ming Huachang to see through his plan, and another woman with a red slingshot forced him to move.

In his eyes, women are either stupid as pigs or beautiful and frivolous. He envied their fragility and beauty but hated their promiscuity. Therefore, the best way was to kill them when they were at their most beautiful, so that they could never betray him again.

He should have used his power to subdue and educate them, and never put women in his eyes. But now, he actually lost to the woman he despised the most?

Ren Yao's shots became more and more frequent. In the blink of an eye, the strong man had several more bullet wounds and wounds from being scratched by the lynx. He looked at Ming Huashang with hatred, and suddenly grabbed a servant and threw him at Ren Yao. Ren Yao quickly put away her gun, and when she stood up again, she saw that the strong man had already escaped.

Ren Yao sneered, raised his gun, and said, "Let's see where you can run to!"

Ren Yao rushed out with great momentum, and the baby also rushed out. Ming Huashang was startled and hurriedly chased after him: "Sister Ren, baby, don't go, wait for me."

Although chasing the killer is dangerous, staying alone is more dangerous. Ming Huashang knows her own weight very well. Without Ren Yao and Baobao, she is nothing.

Ming Huashang ran out. She thought it would take some effort, but she saw Zhuang Han after just a few steps. When Ming Huashang saw the person opposite her, her eyes lit up: "Second brother!"

Ming Huazhang stood on the corridor, holding a long black sword in his hand. The strong man raised his sword and chopped at him, but Ming Huazhang blocked it with his scabbard. The strong man pressed down hard, but Ming Huazhang remained motionless like a mountain. The two were wrestling, and suddenly Ming Huazhang leaned sideways to release the force, and the strong man inevitably stumbled forward. Ming Huazhang raised his leg and kicked the strong man hard in the waist.

The strong man took several steps back and stood firm. He poked the side of his cheek with his tongue and moved his shoulders, with a numb ferocity on his face.

Ming Huashang saw this and felt his heart tighten: "Second brother, be careful!"

This murderer has been in the military for many years and is familiar with combat and investigation skills. But now he is at the end of his rope and his ruthlessness is unimaginable.

Before Ming Huachang finished speaking, the two started fighting again. Zhuang Han used all his strength in every move, and the blade made a whirring sound in the air, while Ming Huazhang never drew his sword from beginning to end, but used the scabbard to push, spin, block, and strike, and the blade and the long scabbard collided, and the sound of golden swords was endless.

Ming Huashang watched without blinking, Ming Huazhang and Zhuanghan fought too fast, Ren Yao couldn't find a gap even if he wanted to support. Suddenly, Ming Huazhang approached Zhuanghan, he grabbed Zhuanghan's wrist and twisted it hard.

Zhuang Han felt pain and his fingers loosened, causing the knife to slip out of his hand and fall to the ground with a bang. Ming Huazhang also took the opportunity to lock Zhuang Han's joints and knock him to the ground.

The guards who were chasing from behind rushed forward and pinned the strong man to the ground. Jiang Ling, who was accompanying Princess Taiping, rushed over. When he saw the man on the ground, he shouted, "Princess, look, we've caught him!"

The torches illuminated the area around Princess Taiping as bright as day. Looking down from above, she looked at the face pressed to the ground and sneered coldly, "You ants, you actually want to plot against me?"

Ming Huazhang didn't like being touched, so when Princess Taiping's guards came up, he made way and left cleanly. Now was not the time to interrogate the prisoner, so Ming Huazhang reminded her, "Princess, search his residence first to find evidence."

"Yes." Ming Huashang had unknowingly moved to Ming Huazhang's side and said, "If I'm not mistaken, Chi Lan, Wei Zi, and Lian Xin's eyes are still hidden in his room."

Jiang Ling showed a look of disgust: "Hey, what are you talking about? What does he want the eyes of a dead person for? Such obvious evidence must have been destroyed by him."

"No." Ming Huashang nestled behind Ming Huazhang, looking at the obedient and gentle girl, but her words were very firm, "He will definitely keep them as a souvenir for future recollection. If nothing unexpected happens, the three pairs of eyes should be placed together with the woman's clothes. When searching the house, please pay more attention to the boxes and drawers. The style of these things should be out of tune with the whole house."

Jiang Ling thought Ming Huashang was talking nonsense: "You haven't been to his room. How do you know where he wants to put it if you have opened your third eye?"

Ming Huazhang suddenly spoke, his voice as clear and crisp as a stream, graceful yet powerful: "Do as she says."

Since the Feihong Banquet began, there had been no quiet nights in the villa. Everyone had fallen asleep when suddenly there were flames and running outside, and finally even shouting.

Everyone was awakened. The King of Wei was leaning on the bed, his clothes half untied, with the naked beauty in his arms. He asked unkindly, "What's going on outside?"

The attendant knelt under the bed, staring at the floor tiles, not daring to look up. In such a cold weather, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead: "King Wei, something bad has happened. Princess Taiping seems to have caught the murderer."

The King of Wei had just woken up from his gentle sleep and was at a loss for words: "Who is the murderer?"

"The servant beside Prince Ding."

The King of Wei, who was still somewhat confused, suddenly woke up. There was no trace of emotion in his eyes anymore. He pushed the beauty in his arms away and asked, "Where is the King of Ding?"

When Prince Ding and Prince Wei arrived at the main hall, it was already full of people. A strong man in a coarse blue shirt was tied up and kneeling at the bottom of the hall, with things that were searched out of his room thrown beside him.

There were red women's dresses of various styles, and the most terrifying thing was the six eyeballs squeezed in a brocade box.

Prince Ding only glanced at her and then looked away, walking towards Princess Taiping calmly: "Princess, what's wrong?"

Princess Taiping saw Prince Ding and Prince Wei and said with a half-smile, "It's nothing. We just caught a daring evil slave who harmed my three maids and even wanted to take advantage of my close friends. Thanks to my vigilance, he has now been captured. Prince Ding, Prince Wei, tell me, how should we punish this ungrateful person who eats at home and betrays his own people?"

The King of Wei remained calm and asked instead, "Could it be that he was responsible for the strange phenomena that happened a while ago?"

"Isn't it?" Princess Taiping said, "Now the rivers and seas are peaceful, the sun and the moon are shining, and under the divine power of the emperor, how can there be any ghosts?

This thief is making false claims, using some evil tricks, and using the names of snakes and ghosts to harm people."

Princess Taiping looked them straight in the eyes, her lips seemed to be mocking, but her words were full of meaning. The King of Wei knew that this plan had failed, and he was quite upset in his heart, but he still looked calm and indifferent, saying: "So it was him who did it. Since the culprit has been caught, just deal with him."

"I will take care of the internal affairs of the Princess's Mansion. Don't worry about it, Prince Wei." Princess Taiping said as she looked at Prince Ding. It was unknown what expression was in her eyes. "Prince Ding, this is your guard. I will take care of it. You don't mind, do you?"

Prince Ding smiled gently and said, "Of course not. He disturbed the princess, so no matter how he is dealt with, it is not excessive."

While Princess Taiping was talking to Prince Ding and Prince Wei, five young men had returned to the courtyard. Although the murderer had been caught, it looked like the villa would be in chaos for another night. Ming Huazhang and Ming Huashang did not move out, but planned to stay in Jiangling Courtyard for another night.

Ming Huashang yawned, and only then did she feel overwhelmed with sleepiness: "So sleepy."

"I'm sleepy too." Ren Yao's eyes were dark, and she gritted her teeth and said, "Son of a bitch, I can finally get a good night's sleep."

Ming Huashang nodded in agreement. Ming Huazhang glanced back at Ren Yao with a slightly unhappy look on his face.

Ren Yao grew up as a boy and was full of foul language. It was fine if she said it herself, but how could she let Ming Huashang hear such words?

Jiang Ling was probably the only one among the five who was still thinking about the case. He was surprised and astonished, and asked lively: "Ming Er Niang, how did you know that the six eyeballs were not thrown away, and guessed where they were placed? Did you go to the murderer's room in advance?"

Ming Huashang covered her lips, yawned gracefully, and said, "I'm so sleepy, Second Brother, thank you, Brother. I'm going to sleep now."

Ming Huazhang nodded, and Xie Jichuan said with a smile: "Have a good night, second sister."

"Hey, don't sleep yet, tell me first!" Ming Huashang and Ren Yao left without mercy. Jiang Ling looked at Ming Huazhang and said enthusiastically, "Ming Erlang, how did you know..."

Ming Huazhang turned a deaf ear to him and walked straight to his room without even a reaction. Jiang Ling had no choice but to pull Xie Jichuan: "Brother Xie, you are not in a hurry to go to bed, are you? I have prepared some good wine, let's talk while we drink it!"

Xie Jichuan pushed Jiang Ling's hand away calmly, looking apologetic: "My family is very strict and doesn't allow drinking. I have to let down the good intentions of Master Jiang. I'm sorry."

After saying that, Xie Jichuan turned around and left without giving Jiang Ling a chance to speak. Jiang Ling called out to him several times, but he just watched the four people leave him without stopping any of them.

Jiang Ling sighed and walked back to his room with regret: "Looks like I have to drink it alone."

He opened the door and found that his house had been visited by countless people. It was in a mess and even several pieces of furniture were missing.

Jiang Ling was shocked. He had never lived in such a messy house since he was a child. It seemed impossible to sleep there. But the other rooms were occupied. It seemed that he could only ask the housekeeper of the princess's mansion to find another room for him.

Jiang Ling walked out of the door and took two steps. He felt something was wrong: "Hey, isn't this my yard?"

·

The seventeenth day of the first lunar month, the first year of the Shengli calendar.

Today, we finally got in touch with the people at the foot of the mountain. The Queen ordered the Imperial Guard to come to Mangshan to clear the snow path, and the major families in Luoyang also sent help. With everyone working together, we finally dug out a path at dusk. Unfortunately, it's getting late, so we can't set off today. My second brother asked me to pack my luggage tonight and set off early tomorrow morning.

When the second brother came back from outside, his face seemed a little strange. He sent me away and quietly chatted with Brother Xie. They thought I couldn't hear them, but in fact I guessed that the avalanche was not caused by nature.

But what does it matter? Tomorrow I can go home and eat hot cakes, crispy roast venison, and steamed buns from Chengdong Tangshiji!

Sister Ren has never eaten Tangshiji. I have made an appointment with her to go to Chengdong to eat shrimp and deer antler steamed buns after returning to Luoyang. It's a pity that the baby can't go with me. If Jiangling can pay, I will take care of the baby.

Ming Huashang, written on the seventeenth night of the first lunar month, at Feihong Villa in Mangshan.

In addition: The name Feihong is really unlucky. It is said that Princess Taiping has intended to change the name of this garden.

Another thing: The murderer suddenly fell ill and died in the woodshed of the villa. The specific cause of the disease is unknown.

——The first case, "A Banquet on a Snowy Night", is finished.