Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 273 Accident
That night, Chen Siyuan and Madam Xing were briefly intimate when a sudden thunderstorm forced them to end their time abruptly. Unbeknownst to them, no sooner had the two parted than a steward led a group of old women to search for them.

They intended to catch Duoguniang and her lover in the act, but their efforts were in vain; they only found a wild cat on the wall, cawing incessantly in heat.

From the managers to the lowliest maids, who would willingly brave the wind and rain to patrol at night? Frustrated and exasperated, they simply told Madam Wang the next day that it was the cat's doing. Madam Wang, already burdened with a headache, merely sent Yu Chuan to inform Miao Yu and then left it at that.

Chen Siyuan and Madam Xing were completely unaware of this, and the former had already gone out to look for his two good brothers early in the morning. Although Xu Dabiao had never entered the Shenxing Division, he was still a minor official in the inner palace, and after a year of working there, he was well-versed in all aspects of the capital.

After some discussion, Xu Dabiao said, "Although the imperial court does not prohibit the use of weapons, it is not appropriate to resort to force in the capital. We need to find the yamen runners of Shuntian Prefecture to handle this matter. If you trust Brother Chen, I happen to know Constable Liu of Shuntian Prefecture. Why don't we turn the tables on him, capture the thieves, and do Constable Liu a favor at the same time?"

Chen Siyuan readily agreed. A day later, Xu Dabiao sought out Constable Liu to meet him. The group found a small inn and drank and ate heartily. If Constable Liu hadn't remembered that Chen Siyuan was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, they probably would have had to chop off chicken heads and burn paper money for him.

Leaving aside Chen Siyuan's situation, let's talk about how Baochai came looking for him twice, but she never managed to run into him. Being a thoughtful person, she couldn't help but overthink things.

She had just returned from the thatched cottage when Daiyu called out to her from the Aojingxi Pavilion. When Baochai arrived, Daiyu teased, "Look, Baochai has been going there quite often these past few days."

Only Xichun and Xing Xiuyan were present. Xing Xiuyan, who was always humble and uninvolved, covered her mouth and laughed upon hearing this. Xichun, knowing that her second sister Yingchun and Chen Siyuan had no chance, also teased, "When will Sister Bao marry into the family?"

Baochai was immediately furious and chased after Daiyu and Xichun for a long time, acting silly.

The midsummer sun shone brightly, and compared to the sweltering heat of late May, a gentle breeze made it quite pleasant. After a few girls played around for a while, Xichun clamored to play handball.

Baochai then said, "It's probably boring for just the few of us... Where are Second Sister and Third Sister? You wait here, I'll go and bother them."

After saying this, he headed towards Zhuijin Tower. However, after crossing Cuiyan Bridge, he saw Chen Siyuan, who had returned at some point, hurrying across Fengyao Bridge and heading north.

Baochai reached out with her fan and opened her mouth to call out, but then realized it was inappropriate and stopped herself. She quickened her pace and soon arrived near the Bee-Waist Bridge, only to find that Chen Siyuan had vanished from sight.

Baochai frowned, looking left and right, then staring blankly at Qiushuangzhai for a long time. She was certain that Chen Siyuan had gone to find Tanchun, and if she went with him, the two of them would probably be suspicious.

Just as I was pondering this, I suddenly saw a pair of jade-colored butterflies in front of me, as large as round fans, fluttering up and down in the wind, which was quite interesting.

Baochai, wanting to play with them, took out a fan from her sleeve and went down to the grass to catch them. She saw the pair of butterflies fluttering about, coming and going, flitting among the flowers and willows, seemingly about to cross the river.

This prompted Baochai to tiptoe along with him all the way to the Dripping Green Pavilion in the pond. She was covered in sweat and panting softly, and had no heart to pounce on him anymore.

Just as I was about to return, I heard people talking inside the pavilion. It turned out that the pavilion was surrounded by covered walkways and winding bridges on all four sides, built in the middle of a pond, and its walls were covered with carved partitions and paper.

Suddenly, Baochai heard people talking inside, so she stopped and listened carefully.

One of them said, "It's really worrying. The girl is ambitious for a while, then lazy for a while. When will this end?"

Another person said, "I told you our young lady has been playing the fool for so long, and now she's become a real blockhead. She's always hesitant and overthinking things. She's watching him get closer and closer, but she's lost her mind. All she does all day is recite scriptures." He paused, then added, "I'm getting old, and in two more years I can ask the First Madam to let me leave the mansion. You're a year younger than me, so you might have to marry along with the young lady."

The maidservant sighed, "With the young lady's temperament, she can't even get a good marriage if someone is eager to marry her. How dare I go and be part of her dowry? I might end up marrying a boy instead."

The maid behind them chuckled, "Who isn't?"

Unexpectedly, the maid immediately retorted, "Sister, do you think I didn't see it? Are those 'Soaring to the Clouds' stockings you sewed for your own brother? Tell me quickly, is it for Second Master Lian or someone else?"

Baochai, who was outside, frowned as she listened. She had already recognized that the people inside were Siqi and Xiuju from Zhuijinlou. She felt contempt for them and bit her lip slightly. After thinking for a while, she suddenly came up with a plan.

Baochai then deliberately made her footsteps heavy and called out with a smile, "Tan'er, let's see where you hide!"

Just as Siqi and Xiuju opened the window, they were startled to see Baochai rushing towards them with a smile.
Baochai turned to the two of them and asked with a smile, "Where did you hide Tan'er?"

Xiuju said, "When have I ever seen the Third Miss?"

Baochai said, "I just saw her squatting here playing with water from the other side of the river. I wanted to sneak up on her, but before I got close, she saw me and disappeared around to the east. Maybe she's hiding here."

As he spoke, he deliberately went inside to search for a while, then turned and left, saying, "He must have gone into that cave again. If he encounters a snake, it's fine if it bites him."

As they walked and talked, they found it amusing: the matter had been covered up, but they wondered what the two of them were doing.

Xiu Ju in the pavilion believed it to be true and was terrified. She hurriedly said, "Oh no! The Third Miss was squatting here just now. She must have overheard what we said!"

Siqi frowned and said, "So what?" She paused, then suddenly realized something was wrong and said, "No, Third Miss is the most intolerant of any nonsense. If she really heard it, why would she try to avoid it? She might just come in and teach us a lesson!"

Xiuju pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "That makes sense... What about Miss Bao just now?"

Siqi squinted and sneered, "Where did this 'Third Miss' come from? I think it's this Miss Bao from beginning to end! She's just making a mess of things, I saw her eating it. Who are you trying to fool with your flowery words? She's not only gloating now, but she's also trying to shift the blame!"

Xiu Ju was also annoyed, but hesitated, saying, "After all, she's a young lady, and we're just maids... I'm afraid this matter—"

Siqi snorted coldly and said, "We'll see how things unfold!"

Meanwhile, Baochai had no interest in searching for Yingchun and Tanchun, so she simply crossed the Bee Waist Bridge, thinking she would take a detour before heading to the Crystal Creek Pavilion. But just after passing the Lotus Fragrance Pavilion, she saw Chen Siyuan and Li Wan leaving Daoxiang Village together in the distance.

Baochai blinked, feeling utterly bewildered. She had assumed Chen Siyuan had gone to Tanchun's Qiushuangzhai, but she never expected him to come to Daoxiangcun.

Seeing the solemn expressions on their faces, and after whispering a few words to each other, Chen Siyuan bowed and took his leave. He then turned around and stepped over to greet them.

Baochai, standing nearby, looked over. Chen Siyuan's solemn expression vanished instantly, replaced by a smile as he waved his hand and quickly came over.

Baochai felt a warmth in her heart and secretly scolded herself for meddling. It made sense; that third girl was so young, and they were deeply in love, showing no sign of him falling for someone else. She really shouldn't have let her imagination run wild.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Siyuan arrived and called out softly to Baochai. Baochai came back to her senses and realized that she had done something wrong. She then blamed Chen Siyuan inwardly: If he hadn't been so elusive these past few days, how could she have been so confused?
So she said with a reproachful expression, "I haven't seen you these past two days. What have you been up to?"

"This is a big deal, a very important matter!"

Chen Siyuan looked around and, seeing that there was no one nearby, simply pulled Baochai into the Lotus Fragrance Pavilion.

Baochai panicked and hurriedly broke free as she entered, saying coquettishly, "What if someone sees us?"

Chen Siyuan said, "Isn't it because no one saw it?" He then covered up the fact that Li Wan had indeed received 70,000 taels of silver, saying that Li Xinchong had made up stories and attracted bad people, which caused Jia Lan to be unable to attend school and had to stay cooped up in the garden.

He then went on to explain in detail how he had found suitable people over the past two days and how he planned to capture the villain in one fell swoop.

Baochai was shocked to hear this, and after listening, she said, "This... such a serious matter should be reported to the authorities. Why did you have to get involved?"

Chen Siyuan said with a wry smile, "If I could report it to the authorities, I would have done so long ago."

This news came from Ma Panlong, who is currently in the Censorate. Chen Siyuan couldn't very well say that his information came from the Censorate, could he? That would be betraying Ma Panlong.
Furthermore, it is still unknown whether the villain is even in the capital. Reporting it to the authorities now would alert the villain, and if the villain escapes to a distant place, they could seek revenge later... Wouldn't that be a greater loss than gain?
Chen Siyuan explained his reasoning and mentioned Li Wan's previous loan of money. Baochai then said with concern, "I don't care about anything else, just give me some extra money. You're frail, it's not good for you to go catch thieves!"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "I've gathered about ten skilled men in the past two days. There are three or five of those thieves at most, so why would it be my turn to take action?"

Baochai breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was somewhat annoyed that Chen Siyuan was too kind and righteous, she knew that if he treated Li Wan this way, he would definitely treat her well in the future. So she showed him some concern and then stopped trying to stop him.

Suddenly remembering something else, Sister Bao said, "Have you told the household about this?"

Chen Siyuan said, "I was just about to go to the front to talk to the old lady when I happened to run into my sister. Ah, that matter is not urgent, I'll talk to my sister for a while first."

Baochai felt even more comfortable, as if a warm current was flowing through her lower abdomen. If it weren't for the bright daylight, she would have loved to snuggle into his arms for a while.

Even so, Sister Bao reached out her soft hand and grasped Chen Siyuan's large hand, smiling gently, "The important matter is still the most important. If you miss me... just come find me at night."

Chen Siyuan was immediately intrigued, raising an eyebrow with delight, "As expected?"

Baochai was taken aback and quickly said, "I meant outside... It wouldn't be good to let you come to Hengwu Garden again."

Chen Siyuan feigned a dejected look and said, "That's fine too."

Baochai was both amused and exasperated. She gently rubbed his hand and said softly, "Let's be good to each other. We have a long life ahead of us."

Chen Siyuan hummed twice, becoming increasingly disheartened. Seeing that he was acting like a rogue again, Baochai glanced around to make sure no one was around, then quickly leaned over and kissed his lips. Only then, blushing, did she urge him to hurry up and go ahead.

Chen Siyuan reluctantly got up, turning back every few steps as he left, causing Baochai, who remained in the Lotus Fragrance Pavilion, to cover her mouth and laugh. Once he was out of sight, Baochai was in high spirits and immediately went to play with Tanchun at the Crystal Creek Pavilion, which I won't go into detail about.

............................................................

After leaving the Grand View Garden, Chen Siyuan passed through the West Corner Gate, the large pink screen wall, and the passageway, arriving at the back of Rongqing Hall. Upon turning around and arriving at the front, he was greeted by a servant from the side hall. The servant bowed and said, "Master Yuan, is there something you need? The old lady is still asleep."

Chen Siyuan frowned and said, "I have something very important to tell the old lady, Miss Yuanyang."

“This…” Yuanyang pursed her lips and pondered, thinking to herself that this Master Yuan knew that the old lady did not like him, and that he would not have rushed to find her unless it was very important.

He immediately said, "Then please wait a moment, Uncle Yuan, I'll go in and take a look."

Yuanyang turned and went into the room, where her head maid, Amber, led Chen Siyuan inside.

Chen Siyuan lifted his robe and sat down. Amber then served him a glass of chilled plum juice. Chen Siyuan drank half a glass when he heard rustling inside. Soon after, a mandarin duck peeked out and said, "Master Yuan, please wait a moment. The old lady has risen."

A short while later, sure enough, Yuanyang was seen helping Grandmother Jia out.

Chen Siyuan dared not delay and quickly got up to greet him.

Although Grandmother Jia's face was pale from lack of sleep, she could still tell what was good and bad. She nodded to Chen Siyuan, signaling him to sit down, and then, after sitting down herself, hurriedly asked, "What urgent matter is it, Brother Yuan?"

Chen Siyuan stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Madam, this matter is of utmost importance. Please dismiss everyone else."

Grandmother Jia was even more puzzled. She glanced at Yuanyang, who then told the maids to leave.

Chen Siyuan then said, "This junior has overstepped his bounds." After saying that, he stepped forward, bent down, and whispered to Grandmother Jia in a low voice.

After briefly recounting the events, Chen Siyuan stepped back and said, "Because my sister-in-law didn't want to make a fuss, she covered it up. Who knew that Li Xinchong, after drinking, would say something inappropriate and, without knowing the truth, assume that my sister-in-law had received a large sum of money, which was overheard by the thieves."

A close friend of mine works in the Ministry of Justice and happened to learn of this matter. He also knows that Lan-ge'er is currently studying at my new residence, which is why I rushed here to inform him.”

Grandmother Jia was astonished. She ignored the scoundrel and stared intently at Chen Siyuan, saying, "Ten thousand taels... for one matter?"

“Exactly,” Chen Siyuan replied. “Li Xinchong came to ask for the Diamond Sutra, and my sister-in-law, having no other choice, asked me to smooth things over. She spent ten thousand taels of silver to finally get Li Xinchong a position as a guest in the Prince’s mansion. Alas… who knew…”

“One thing…one thing…” Grandmother Jia murmured, her cloudy eyes becoming increasingly clear.

Chen Siyuan sensed something was wrong and quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Well... His Highness said that it's a matter of life and death, and future prospects, and it should only be done for my sister-in-law and her son."

Grandmother Jia, who was sitting upright, did not seem to care. She pondered silently for a while, then suddenly raised her head and asked, "Yuan-ge'er, what do you think of Lan-ge'er?"

Chen Siyuan spoke frankly, saying, "My sister-in-law said that he inherited the intelligence of Brother Zhu, and I think that Brother Lan has also inherited the diligence of my sister-in-law."

With intelligence and diligence combined, and the support of benefactors, what worries could one have about economic success and career advancement?
Grandmother Jia was overjoyed!

Having previously surveyed the family's sons and grandsons, she assumed they were all dissolute and incompetent, so she pinned her hopes on Yuan-chun winning favor for the Jia family and also intended to use Bao-yu's marriage to fill the financial gap. Little did she expect that one of her great-grandchildren would possess such extraordinary fortune!
Intelligent and diligent, with Prince Yanping as his guarantor... who knows, he'll surely pass the imperial examination one day! Moreover, Jia Lan is the eldest grandson of the second branch... think of Jia Jing of the East Mansion, his eldest grandson Jia Zhu, the old Duke's plan was about to be realized, but a sudden disaster struck, Zhu died tragically, Jia Jing fled the disaster, resulting in the loss of talent in both mansions.

Unexpectedly, the scheme of that day came true for Lan Ge'er, a great-grandson.

Upon understanding this, Grandmother Jia's blood boiled, and she immediately became stern, saying, "That scoundrel is despicable! I'll order someone to guard the gates tightly. Oh, Master has a history with the city patrol, so if that doesn't work, we can call in a troop of soldiers from the patrol—"

Chen Siyuan quickly said, "Grandma, there's only the saying 'a thief can be caught a thousand days in the act,' not 'a thief can be caught a thousand days in the act.'"

Grandmother Jia said, "Yuan-ge'er's intention is... oh dear, it's not good to let Lan-ge'er take risks."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Of course not. I'm thinking of finding a brave young servant, changing him into Lan Ge'er's clothes, and having him go to my new house to study every day. I'll also secretly find someone to watch over him... If the thief makes a move, we'll capture him in one fell swoop."

Grandmother Jia slammed her hand on the table and exclaimed, "Excellent! Excellent! A perfect capture!" As the saying goes, "If secrets are not kept, disaster will ensue." Grandmother Jia, being an old and shrewd woman, naturally knew that the Rongguo Mansion was currently riddled with leaks. Such confidential matters should not be publicized... especially not to the East Wing.

Grandmother Jia then gave a slight bow, beckoned Chen Siyuan to her side, and whispered some instructions. With lives at stake, how could Chen Siyuan possibly leak the news? He readily agreed.

After the old woman and the young man finished their discussion, Grandmother Jia found Yuan-ge'er in front of her to be more and more pleasing to the eye... It was just a pity that he had already had an affair with the Xue family's daughter, otherwise the old lady would really have wanted to match the second young lady with Chen Siyuan.

After a private discussion, Chen Siyuan gracefully took his leave. Once outside Rongqing Hall, Chen Siyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that with the old lady protecting him, she should be able to protect Li Wan and her son for a few more years, right?

Strolling past the large, pink-painted screen wall, and entering the Grand View Garden, just past the verdant peaks, the azure moon greets you.

"Uncle Yuan, my grandma sent me here to wait for news."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Please go and tell your sister-in-law that the matter has been settled."

Biyue was puzzled but thanked him anyway before hurrying back to Daoxiang Village to report to Li Wan.

There was nothing else to do in the afternoon, but as evening approached, the head maid came looking for Chen Siyuan and led him to the back door. She pointed to a servant boy and said, "This is Li Yan. From now on, he will be working with Master Yuan."

Chen Siyuan glanced at him and saw that the young man was handsome and his figure was exactly the same as Jia Lan's. He immediately nodded.

The servant, Li Yan, had long heard of Master Yuan's reputation for benevolence and charity, and immediately bowed deeply, saying, "This humble servant, Li Yan, greets Master Yuan."

Chen Siyuan told him to get up, casually tossed him a silver coin, and instructed, "I'll send someone to bring you two sets of clothes later. Wait for me at the back gate first thing tomorrow morning."

Li Yan happily agreed, completely unaware that she had become Jia Lan's substitute.

The next morning, Li Yan, bewildered, changed into Jia Lan's clothes, and with Jia Lan's servant accompanying him, he boarded the carriage in a daze and headed towards the new residence. Although Li Yan had some reservations, he dared not refuse the task despite his fear, and could only travel back and forth by carriage every day with a dejected face.

After several days of peace and quiet, Li Yan gradually relaxed, unaware that Xu Dabiao had quietly approached Chen Siyuan and said, "The thief has taken the bait."

"Oh?" Chen Siyuan quickly inquired in detail.

Xu Dabiao only said that he had found two people to keep watch over him in the past two days. Following the clues, he found a house in the outer city with three men speaking with Shandong accents. They looked like they had no good intentions.

Because he had not seen the incense master, Officer Liu did not dare to alert him.

When Chen Siyuan pressed for an answer on when they would make their move, Xu Dabiao couldn't give a definite answer, only saying that good news would arrive soon.

Two more days passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Chen Siyuan and Sister Bao dealt with the latex accounts together. Since they hadn't been to the new house for several days, they went there today.

We rode along at our own pace, and soon arrived at the street in front of Nengren Temple. This was the most bustling place, with all kinds of businesses lining both sides of the street, and vendors carrying their wares on shoulder poles weaving through the crowd.

Chen Siyuan was still savoring the intimate moment with Baochai when he suddenly heard a heavy cough. He snapped out of his reverie and was about to turn around when he heard the man in the straw hat beside him say in a low voice, "Brother Chen, what are you doing causing trouble? Let's go!"

It's Xu Dabiao!

Chen Siyuan felt a chill run down his spine, but he forced himself not to look at Xu Dabiao. Instead, he looked around. Sure enough, he saw a number of heroes gathered in twos and threes near the storefront. For a moment, Chen Siyuan couldn't tell which were the thieves and which were the heroes he had recruited.

A large crowd had gathered ahead, but performers were blocking most of the way. Chen Siyuan's mind raced; he thought to himself that if the thieves made their move now, he probably wouldn't be able to escape in time. Besides, it wasn't a good place to turn around...

After thinking it over, Chen Siyuan immediately dismounted. Qingyu, the servant holding the reins, was still unaware of what was happening and hurriedly turned around to ask, "What's going on, sir?"

Chen Siyuan said, "If you're thirsty, go have a cup of plum juice."

There was a tea stall near the alley entrance. Although Qingyu was quite surprised, he followed the instructions and led the horse towards the alley entrance. Chen Siyuan followed behind. After taking only a few steps, they suddenly heard a loud shout ahead, followed by the neighing of a fine horse. Someone shouted, "The horse is startled!"

Chen Siyuan craned his neck to look, and saw the familiar carriage speeding toward them.

Immediately, a short figure on the roof shouted, "Get out of the way! I'll subdue this mad horse!" As he spoke, he ran a few steps and leaped down from the roof, landing squarely on the carriage shaft.

It was unclear what had happened to the horses pulling the cart; the more the short man tried to rein in the horses, the more frantic they became.

Just then, a burly man rushed out of a shop, carrying a cudgel. With a roar, he swung the cudgel and smashed the target.

I heard a muffled thud in my ear!

The baton slammed heavily onto the horse's neck, and the mad horse let out a miserable howl before collapsing to the ground! The short figure on the carriage shaft was thrown back a foot, landed on the ground, scrambled to his feet, glanced viciously at the man holding the baton, and with a whistle, rushed toward the carriage.

While Jia Lan's servant was still shouting behind, four or five muscular figures suddenly appeared, seemingly to rescue someone, but in reality, they were rushing towards 'Jia Lan' in the carriage.

Some well-meaning people wanted to help, but suddenly a scream rang out, as someone had been cut in the ribs by a knife at some point.

Just as the five or six men reached the carriage, a series of gongs rang out all around, and in the blink of an eye, more than a dozen men rushed out from the shops and stalls.

All of them, some carrying whistles, some holding white waxwood sticks, and some waving iron rulers, shouted and surrounded the five or six people.

The head constable, Liu, shouted, "You scoundrels, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

The short man was immediately dumbfounded and shouted, "Oh no, we've fallen for their trap!"

A burly man shouted, "Take the child from the carriage first!"

Several men immediately drew daggers and short knives, standing guard on either side, while another lifted the carriage curtain to attack 'Jia Lan'. But as soon as the curtain was lifted, a cloud of white smoke billowed out. Caught completely off guard, the man screamed in pain as he was struck!

"Ah...my eyes!"

The short man shouted "Third Brother!" and was about to pull the man who had been hit when he heard the sound of a whistle stick whistling through the air. He immediately rolled on the spot, got up, and started fighting with the two men.

The more the man rubbed his eyes, the more excruciating the pain became. Just as he was screaming in agony, an iron ruler suddenly came crashing down on his shoulder. The man screamed and collapsed to the ground, his right hand no longer obeying his commands.

As the head constable of Shuntian Prefecture, Liu naturally had some skill in dealing with people. Seeing the man fall to the ground, he swung his iron ruler and smashed it repeatedly on the two knees until the thief's kneecaps were shattered. Only then did he abandon the man and go to attack the others.

In the blink of an eye, the people, seeing the fighting had begun, realized what was happening and scattered in all directions, shouting and pushing each other.

Startled, Chen Siyuan quickly hid in the alley, while the servant Qingyu stammered, "Master, we, we—"

Chen Siyuan smiled wryly and said, "Don't panic. The roads are all blocked now. Even if we wanted to escape, where could we go? We might as well wait here a little longer... There are only six thieves. I think Captain Liu will be able to capture them easily."

Qingyu was completely bewildered. He nodded repeatedly, but could only grip the reins tightly.

Chen Siyuan pressed himself against the wall, frowning deeply. He peeked out and peered over to the other side, only to see figures flying about, dust billowing, and occasionally a scream.

Chen Siyuan stared in astonishment, wondering if two times the manpower had failed to capture the thief. Could there really be a skilled martial artist among them?

Little did he know that the weak fear the strong, and the strong fear the reckless. The members of the Burning Lamp Sect repeatedly rebelled, which, to put it bluntly, meant risking their lives and engaging in a life of constant danger. Once they were in dire straits, knowing that being caught by the court meant certain death, most of them would fight to the death.

Although the group of skilled fighters were highly proficient, they suffered greatly due to the bandits' fighting style of trading injury for life. At this moment, they dared not get close easily. Therefore, although they had the upper hand, the two sides were evenly matched.

Turning his head to look around, Chen Siyuan saw that the alley entrance was still blocked. He looked around and noticed that the place had previously been a foot massage stall, and there were two broken bricks on the ground. Chen Siyuan reached in and grabbed one, hiding it in his sleeve, just in case.

But a moment later, a loud shout was heard, followed by Xu Dabiao yelling, "Chase him! Don't let that bastard get away!"

Chen Siyuan peered out and saw the short man rushing towards them. Chen Siyuan was wondering whether to throw a brick at him when the man suddenly flipped over the shed and landed right in front of him.

The man, carrying a short knife, glanced coldly at Chen Siyuan, who was so frightened he dared not move. Then, noticing the horse, the short man reached out and snatched it.

At this moment, the servant Qingyu was still in a daze, gripping the reins tightly and refusing to let go. Just as the short man raised his knife to strike, Chen Siyuan kicked Qingyu in the waist and shouted, "You bastard, it's just a horse, give it to him!"

The short man chuckled: "You're smart to know what's good for you!"

He immediately leaped onto the horse, spurred it on with his legs, and rode off.

The clanging of weapons behind him was deafening. Chen Siyuan realized that a bandit must have been covering their retreat, which allowed the thief to escape. If this thief were to regain power and seek revenge on him again... then where the hell could he go to seek justice?
Chen Siyuan has always believed in either not doing something at all or doing it thoroughly, so how could he let this person get away?
He gripped the brick tightly in his right hand, then suddenly stepped forward and swung the brick out.

hum-

Turning around, the sound of wind blew. The thief on horseback, a seasoned veteran of the martial world, heard the strange noise and quickly ducked down, only to be hit in the back by the broken brick.

In recent years, Chen Siyuan had been eating the finest and most exquisite food, and he was also at the age of rapid growth. Now, not only was he physically strong, but his blood and energy were also far superior to others. This time, he put all his strength into the blow, and the brick hit the thief in the back. The thief groaned, felt his vision go black, and immediately fell off his horse.

Chen Siyuan struck his target, grabbed the other half of the brick from the ground, and strode forward, ready to deliver the fatal blow. But just as he raised the brick, the thief swung his hand, and with a loud 'crack, crack,' Chen Siyuan felt a chill on his left shoulder. His blood rushed to his head, and without thinking, he slammed the brick down, smashing it into the thief's face with a resounding crack.

This time, the thief fainted without a sound. Just as Chen Siyuan picked up the brick to smash again, someone behind him shouted, "Chen Xiaolian, stop! This man is the leader of the Burning Lamp Sect!"

Chen Siyuan stepped on the thief's chest, and seeing that he indeed fainted, he slowly put down the brick. When he turned around, he saw Constable Liu, Xu Dabiao, and others rushing towards him.

Liu, the head constable, was determined to capture the leader of the Burning Lamp Sect, but Xu Dabiao stopped in surprise and said, "This... Brother Chen, you've been hit by a hidden arrow?"

"Huh?" Chen Siyuan looked down and saw a shiny black short arrow stuck in his left shoulder, and then felt a piercing pain.

Chen Siyuan gasped and raised his hand to pull out the arrow.

Startled, Xu Dabiao dropped his cudgel and rushed forward to stop him: "No! This hidden dart has barbs on it, we can't just pull it out recklessly... Ouch, this, this seems to be poisoned!"

Looking up at Chen Siyuan, she saw him frown and nod: "It is a little numb..."

Having said that, he rolled his eyes and leaned back. Amidst the ringing in his ears, he could faintly hear a cacophony of noise all around him.
"Brother Chen!"

"Grandpa!"

"Quickly, go find a doctor."

"The Rongguo Mansion has imperial physicians; why not send them there..."

(End of this chapter)