Prime Minister

Chapter 226, Section 225: [Awaiting Slaughter]

At the second quarter of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), all was quiet, and the entire city of Yangzhou seemed to have fallen into a sweet dream.

Under the cool night sky, the waning moon cast a faint glow. Although the city was not as bright as dusk, the roads were still faintly discernible, not so dark that one could not see their own hand in front of their face.

In a deep alley in the western city, a nimble figure quickly ran over. It was Li Cong, who had been responsible for protecting Xu Zhiwei for the past few years and had disappeared for the past half month. Five days ago, he received Liu Ying's order to use the cover of several companions to shake off the tracking and surveillance of the Jing'an Division's secret agents and quietly sneak back to Yangzhou City.

Li Cong approached Liu Ying, who was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, and respectfully whispered, "Holy Maiden."

Liu Ying nodded and asked, "What is the situation outside the city?"

Li Cong replied, "Protector Hu led his men to harass Daming Temple. Xue Huai was indeed well-prepared there, with not only his subordinates and guards, but also a large number of experts from the Jing'an Division. In addition, before Protector Hu made his move, our brothers discovered that a part of the transport army led by Yu Chengguang was active, with at least several hundred elite transport soldiers heading straight for the Shugang area outside the city."

Liu Ying let out a soft breath; these circumstances were largely as she had anticipated.

Li Cong added, "Holy Maiden, this time Protector Hu is likely to suffer a major setback. It will be easy for her people to go in but difficult to get out."

"Hu Jiaoniang won't feel bad, and... she can definitely get out unscathed. After all, the ancestor values ​​her highly and has arranged for a real expert to be by her side."

Liu Ying made no attempt to hide anything from Li Cong, then turned to another subordinate who had rushed over and asked, "What about your side? Is there anything unusual at Shen Garden?"

The subordinate respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, everything at Shen Garden is as usual. The servants we bribed are all safe and sound and have not been discovered yet."

Liu Ying nodded.

She agreed to Hu Jiaoniang's plan for two reasons: first, to target the Shen family in order to retaliate against Xue Huai for the threats and losses he caused to the Holy Sect; and second, to personally bring back Xu Zhiwei in order to fulfill the patriarch's instructions.

In the past few days, she has confirmed that Xu Zhiwei is hiding in the East Garden of Shen Garden. In addition, by bribing and coercing the servants of the Shen family, she has also drawn up a map of Shen Garden and handed it over to the cult members who will take action tonight.

Although the servants could not penetrate deep into the core area of ​​Shen Garden, the information provided by several people was enough for Liu Ying's clever men to sketch out the approximate location of Shen Garden.

After a brief silence, Liu Ying said to Li Cong, "Although Xue Huai's attention has been drawn to Hu Jiaoniang, he has always been cautious and meticulous. He will not overlook the defenses around Shen Qingluan and Xu Zhiwei. Although Shen Bingwen is not in Yangzhou at the moment, his ability to manage his subordinates should not be underestimated. Therefore, we still cannot be careless."

Li Cong solemnly replied, "Your subordinate understands, and will follow the Holy Maiden's arrangements."

Liu Ying calmly said, "Take dozens of men and head straight for the main courtyard of Shen Garden. Make a big fuss, the more so the better. Shen Bingwen's wives, concubines, and other children live there, so the enemy will definitely not dare to underestimate you. Once you've drawn most of the guards away from Shen Garden, I will personally storm the East Garden. Also, remember to loudly proclaim that this trip is to avenge the Liu and Zheng families of Yangzhou."

Li Cong bowed deeply, a complex emotion flashing deep in his eyes, which quickly transformed into a look of resolute acceptance of death. Without hesitation, he said, "Your subordinate obeys! Holy Maiden, please take care!"

About an incense stick's time later, in a secluded spot in the southeast corner outside Shen Garden.

Time slips away quietly.

It's now late at night, the time when people are most tired, and even the most loyal guards are bound to be absent-minded at this time.

Until a sudden commotion tore through the night sky, and soon flames appeared on the west side of Shen Garden.

Liu Ying stood solemnly, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.

As expected, Li Cong was her most trusted confidant; the commotion on the other side came much faster than she had anticipated.

She didn't act immediately. Only when the commotion inside Shen Garden became increasingly apparent did she whisper, "Go!"

Dozens of skilled martial arts masters from the Holy Sect followed closely behind Liu Ying. All of them were dressed in black and masked, with only their eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty glint in the darkness. They nimbly scaled the high wall and landed in the garden, quickly determining their direction and rushing straight towards the East Garden.

The situation at the main courtyard naturally attracted the attention of the guards in the garden. During the time that Liu Ying deliberately waited, many people hurriedly gathered at the main courtyard. However, this did not mean that Liu Ying and her party could enter without any obstacles.

"There's a thief!"

Several guards from Shen Garden rushed out from the moon gate and drew their swords almost instantly.

"court death!"

A burly man beside Liu Ying roared furiously, slashing out with his ghost-head saber like a whirlwind, and with a single strike, he sent the guard at the front of the charge staggering back several steps.

At this moment, they finally saw the scene before them clearly. The guards were obviously not expected that so many thieves would break in. They immediately turned around and retreated quickly, shouting, "Call for help!"

The members of the Holy Church naturally wouldn't stand idly by and watch them escape, so they gave chase. The guards, on the other hand, relied on their familiarity with the terrain to flee in disarray.

Liu Ying kept walking, her eyes scanning the surrounding scenery like a hawk. She saw pavilions and towers in the garden, and the moonlight cast heavy shadows among the artificial hills and flowers. There was an eerie silence amidst the noise.

A trusted aide beside her said with a hint of surprise, "Holy Maiden, there seem to be too few guards here."

"As expected."

Liu Ying sneered, quickly suppressing the slight hesitation in her heart, and said urgently, "Li Cong is causing a huge uproar over there, how can the guards left by Shen Bingwen be careless? Quickly, target East Garden, no delay!"

Seeing the saintess's unwavering resolve, the crowd's doubts vanished, and they shot towards the tranquil East Garden like arrows.

As they got closer to the East Garden, Liu Ying and her group encountered more and more resistance. However, the people she brought tonight were all experts from the sect who were specifically responsible for fighting, and the main force of the Shen Garden's guards had obviously been drawn to the main courtyard. Therefore, they made a swift and unstoppable advance, and reached the outside of the East Garden's main courtyard with almost no losses.

"Break down the door!" Liu Ying shouted sharply. The two burly men beside her took a deep breath and rammed into the tightly closed door like bulls!
"boom!"

The latch broke, and the wooden door was wide open!

Led by Liu Ying, the group rushed straight in.

However, there was no sound of surprise inside; it remained deathly silent, as if the group of experts who had suddenly stormed in at night were nothing more than a harmless night breeze.

Liu Ying took the lead, and when she stood in the courtyard, the sight before her made her pupils shrink suddenly.

Across the entire courtyard, the main house on the opposite steps had its doors wide open, and the room was brightly lit. A slender figure dressed in a plain blue dress sat calmly at a large desk.

She was holding a pen, writing something at her desk, seemingly completely undisturbed by the loud noise of the door being broken down.

Her hair was slightly loose, revealing a graceful neck that appeared exceptionally fragile in the candlelight, yet exuded a strange calmness.

It was Xu Zhiwei!
An eerie silence fell over the room.

On one side was Xu Zhiwei, sitting alone with the gate wide open, and on the other side was Liu Ying, who led dozens of her trusted subordinates into the courtyard with murderous intent. The two sides were less than eight zhang apart.

Xu Zhiwei finally turned to look at Liu Ying, her eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

Liu Ying had never seen her look like that before. Just as she was about to speak, something unexpected happened!

"Boohoo, boomboo-!"

The sound of rapids, like a torrential downpour, ripped through the silence of the night!

Countless crossbow bolts shot out like poisonous bees from the walls, rooftops, holes in the artificial hills, and even behind the carved railings of the corridors in the main courtyard!

The target was Liu Ying and her group, who were either still in the air, had just landed, or had just rushed into the courtyard!

The rain of arrows was too sudden and too dense, covering almost every angle!

"Puff puff!"

The sounds of sharp weapons piercing flesh were incessant, and screams of agony instantly filled the air!
More than ten of Liu Ying's trusted elite men fell in the blink of an eye!

“Charge forward!”

Liu Ying shouted angrily, her voice trembling slightly with shock and anger.

Her judgment was decisive enough. The main courtyard of the East Garden was clearly the real trap. Xue Huai personally led the Jing'an Division and even the elite of the canal army to Daming Temple, the main force of the Shen Garden guards was attracted by Li Cong and others, and the resistance near the East Garden was not strong. These were all bait to lure her and her confidants into this deadly place.

She didn't understand why Xu Zhiwei would deliberately expose herself. Was it just to make her momentarily stunned?
She didn't have time to think. This courtyard was a deadly trap, and it was too late to escape. If she could rush into the main house and subdue Xu Zhiwei, perhaps she would still have a chance to survive.

With a light tap of her toes, she darted forward like a butterfly flitting among flowers, the crisp clanging sounds echoing continuously. She used her movement technique to its fullest extent, protecting all her vital points and deflecting the deadly hidden weapons aimed at her.

The others also desperately parried while brandishing their weapons, and followed Liu Ying as she charged forward.

The crossbow bolts were not unlimited, but the terrifying attack had barely subsided when an even greater killing intent descended!
"kill--!"

The deafening shouts of battle rose like thunder from a clear sky!
Countless figures leaped down from the wall and burst forth from behind the artificial hill and among the flowers. Leading them were Qi San and Yue Ping, the guards of Shen Garden. In their early years, these two were heroes who had tasted blood in the wilderness. Later, they were both won over by Shen Bingwen and became loyal guardians of the Shen family.

These ambushers were clearly the main force of Shen Garden's guards. They hid in various parts of the East Garden under the cover of night, and their numbers far exceeded all the people Liu Ying brought in!

The desperate battle between the two sides officially began, and Liu Ying felt a surge of fear and doubt.

Since the guards of Shen Garden are all hiding here, who is fighting with Li Cong and the others in the main courtyard on the west side?
Liu Ying never imagined that while she was leading her troops into a fierce battle, the main courtyard was already about to end the fight.

A tall man carrying a long spear looked at the dozen or so thieves who were stubbornly resisting in the center of the field with a cold gaze and said calmly, "Go and tell the Shen family inside that it will be completely safe in half a quarter of an hour at most. Tell them not to worry or be afraid."

"Follow the order!"

One of the subordinates solemnly agreed.

Looking at the battle, the man shouted, "Leave a few more alive, especially the two leaders, otherwise we won't be able to explain to His Highness."

"Yes!"

A group of extremely fierce and elite experts responded enthusiastically.

They were naturally the princess's guards whom Jiang Li trusted most.

Once the man was certain the situation wouldn't change, he glanced at the waning moon in the night sky, clicked his tongue meaningfully, and then muttered to himself.

"Jiang Sheng is really lucky."

(End of this chapter)