The rebel army's foremost master craftsman forged a million iron pylons!

"Go now. If you hesitate any longer, I won't let you off the hook once the others are gone." Lai Sheng glared fiercely at Lai Wu.

"Yes, yes," Lai Wu shrank back and turned to run away.

However, instead of following Li Tian and the other man, he went to inform Master Zhou.

Boom boom boom!

"Third Master, are you asleep?"

Inside Master Zhou's room, just as he lay down, a knocking sound came from outside, accompanied by the voice of a servant.

"Who's making such a racket in the middle of the night?"

Uncle Zhou roared angrily, put on his clothes, and came out.

Upon seeing the young servant in blue outside, Master Zhou was immediately taken aback. "Lai Wu, aren't you always following Lai Sheng? What are you doing here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

"Third Master, you must stand up for me!"

Lai Wu immediately knelt at the feet of Master Zhou, crying with snot and tears streaming down his face.

"Lai Sheng has betrayed the Zhou family. He told me to follow the two people who came today and to report them to the imperial court."

"Third Master, we are loyal to Zhou Family Village and would never dare to betray them. We have come to tell you this."

Is that so?

Master Zhou was trembling with anger.

That damned Lai Sheng actually dared to inform on us; he's going to ruin the entire Zhoujiazhuang village!

"You bastard!"

Lai Sheng cursed angrily, then turned to Lai Wu and said, "Go and find ten servants. Let's see if this Lai Wu is going to rebel."

Before long, Lai Wu brought ten servants over. At the command of Master Zhou, the group marched menacingly toward Lai Sheng's hiding place.

Southwest corner.

Lai Sheng was waiting anxiously when he suddenly saw Master Zhou leading a group of people toward him menacingly. He panicked and immediately went to meet them.

"Third Master, why are you still awake so late?"

"I'll sleep with your mother!"

Master Zhou slapped Lai Sheng across the face, then kicked him hard in the stomach.

"You traitorous wretch! How dare you betray Zhoujiazhuang? Tell me, have you lost your mind?"

"Sir, I didn't."

Lai Sheng was startled and immediately denied it.

"Still dare to argue?" Lai Wu shouted. "Lai San!"

Lai San stepped out from behind the crowd with a blank expression. "Uncle Lai, I'm sorry, I betrayed you."

"You, you bastard!" Lai Sheng was so angry that his face turned ashen, and he rushed towards Master Zhou.

"Take it down!"

As soon as Master Zhou shouted, five or six burly men rushed forward and slammed Lai Sheng to the ground.

"Lai Sheng, how dare you betray Zhoujiazhuang! Today I'm going to break both your legs and drive you out of Zhoujiazhuang. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I, I..."

Before Lai Sheng could speak, Master Zhou waved his hand and ordered, "Drag him away..."

"Ah, Master Zhou, no! I'm utterly loyal to Zhou Family Village! I've been blinded by greed..."

Lai Sheng's screams echoed outside Zhoujiazhuang, but it was too late. His legs had been broken, and he had been thrown into the wilderness to be eaten by wolves.

"Sir, the matter has been taken care of."

Before long, several servants ran back and said to Master Zhou.

The moonlight slanted down and shone on Zhou Sanye's gloomy face.

Master Zhou snorted coldly, said nothing, and returned to his room.

"The Righteous Army".

"Imperial Army"

"We can't afford to offend any of them."

Master Zhou sat by candlelight, his face terribly gloomy.

After a long while, Master Zhou sighed, blew out the candle, and lay down on the bed fully clothed.

.......

dong dong dong.

Not long after Master Zhou fell asleep, there was another knock on the door.

"Who is it? What do you want now?" Zhou Sanye roared hoarsely. In these chaotic times of war, even a good night's sleep was impossible.

"Master, something terrible has happened! A group of armored cavalry has arrived outside and they specifically request to see you."

A servant's low voice came from outside.

Master Zhou's face instantly darkened. Those were imperial armored soldiers, not rebels; they were truly capable of killing.

"Wait a minute, I'll be right out."

When Zhou Sanye appeared in front of the Zhoujiazhuang watchtower after dressing, the place was brightly lit.

A dozen or so soldiers sat on tall horses, each holding a torch, illuminating the open space as if it were daytime.

A soldier sitting in the front leaned forward and asked with a grin, "May I ask if you are Master Zhou from Zhou Family Village? I am Su Xiong, a captain in the Sanshui Military Prefecture."

"I've heard that the Zhou family has a long-standing relationship with our Sanshui Military Prefecture regarding weapons. Would you mind inviting the brothers in for a drink?"

With such a large business, Master Zhou naturally had a keen eye and could tell at a glance that they were here to freeload.

Master Zhou politely cupped his hands in greeting, "Gentlemen, you have worked hard day and night to patrol this area, which is a blessing for the people. Today, the soldiers have taken the initiative to come to our door, which truly makes my Zhou Family Village honored."

"Sir, please dismount. I will have the servants prepare a meal for you."

Zhou Sanye politely welcomed the dozen or so soldiers into Zhoujiazhuang and set up a banquet in a side hall.

The banquet wasn't lavish, with only about ten dishes, mainly beef and mutton, but in those turbulent years of war, it was a rare and delicious meal.

"Gentlemen, please forgive my inconvenience. There's nothing of value in Zhoujiazhuang. Please make do with this."

Master Zhou politely poured each soldier a cup of wine.

Su Xiong and his men didn't stand on ceremony and started eating and drinking heartily. Zhou Sanye sat on the side, carefully keeping them company and occasionally stealing glances at Su Xiong's expression.

As the saying goes, "No one visits the temple without a reason," so Zhou Sanye was certain that they must have something to say about their visit in the middle of the night.

But Master Zhou didn't know what they were there for.

After a few rounds of drinks, Master Zhou, with a forced smile, said, "Gentlemen, is there something you need at my Zhou Family Manor so late?"

Su Xiong, drunk, slammed several portraits onto the table, spread them out one by one, and pointed at them, asking questions.

"These men are all rebels the imperial court wants to arrest. Have you seen them?"

"Li Tian!"

Upon seeing that familiar face, Master Zhou suddenly shivered and stood there stunned for a moment.

What a coincidence! What a coincidence! Li Tian had just left when the imperial court arrived.

Could it be that that damned, crippled Lai Sheng went to the imperial court to file a complaint?

Master Zhou couldn't help but look out the window, but all around was pitch black, and he had no idea where Lai Sheng was hiding.

"Hmm?" Su Xiong suddenly opened his eyes, a cold glint in them. "Why is Master Zhou so distracted? Did you perhaps see those rebels just now?"

Ah!

Master Zhou exclaimed in surprise, dropping his chopsticks to the ground with a clatter, and repeatedly praised the gesture.

"No, I've never seen them before. I've never left Zhoujiazhuang, and I don't know any of these people."

But how could his actions escape Su Xiong's notice?

With a bang, Su Xiong kicked over the stool in front of him, drew his waist knife, and held it to Zhou Sanye's neck.

"Third Master, although you have some connections with our imperial court..."

"But this order came from General Qin of the Sanshui Military Command."

"Do you think your neck is harder, or the swords of our Sanshui Military Prefecture are harder?"

"To tell you the truth, we've come to see you today because someone tipped us off, and we've received reliable information."

Su Xiong was just trying to trick him.

But these words struck Zhou Sanye like a thunderbolt.

thump!

Master Zhou's legs went weak, and he knelt directly in front of Su Xiong, kowtowing repeatedly, "Sir, spare my life! I was confused, I was so confused!"