The Thief Prince

Li Zheng was the second one to crawl through.

Standing up in the backyard, I saw Yan Yun using a dagger to bleed several large black dogs one by one.

Li Zheng's lips twitched. Luckily, no dog lovers had transmigrated here, otherwise Yan Yun would have been subjected to cyberbullying.

Once the rest of the brothers had entered, Li Zheng looked at the two henchmen at the end and said, "You two stay here and act as you see fit."

The two nodded in agreement.

Li Zheng then looked at the others: "Ahead is the rear building, and beyond that is a side alley. We'll go through there to enter the main house. All of you, be quiet and don't make any noise."

The term "belonging" refers to a narrow passageway located to the side of the main house, connecting the front and back courtyards. It was used exclusively by servants and female relatives to avoid male guests and the host in the main hall, so as to avoid violating etiquette.

Taking the guard lane not only allows you to enter the residence the fastest, but also reduces the chance of being discovered by the servants.

Li Zheng grabbed Wang Xun and said, "I'll walk in front, and you follow behind me. If the road ahead is even slightly different from the map you drew, then..."

Li Zheng looked at Tang Meng and said, "Just chop him up with one stroke!"

Tang Meng grinned maliciously: "Alright!"

Wang Xun trembled with fear, not daring to utter a single word of "no".

Li Zheng drew his sword and walked at the front, with the others following closely behind.

As soon as I entered the back room, I ran into a guard.

"What...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Zheng plunged a knife into his chest.

With his other hand he supported his neck and gently placed him on the ground.

Behind them, Tang Meng, Yan Yun, and others also entered the room. Inside, several servants on night duty were catching up on sleep, but they were all silently slit in the throat.

"Brother, I've found the spare parts."

Li Zheng looked in the direction of the sound and indeed saw a hidden path on the side of the back room, hidden behind the green garden, which was not noticeable unless you looked carefully.

Feudal nobles regarded the lower-class servants as nothing, even the paths they took had to be hidden.

"Leave two more people here, then we'll leave."

The passageway was very narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass through, yet Li Zheng still walked at the very front.

Halfway there, another figure appeared in front of them, humming a little tune.

Li Zheng immediately raised his hand axe, but did not throw it away right away.

This time, however, the person standing before them was a young maid.

The maid also saw Li Zheng and seemed to be frightened. She dropped the basket in her hand and the fruits fell to the ground.

For some reason, a scene flashed through Li Zheng's mind.

The night I transmigrated, the female corpse found dead in the room, and the maid who was stabbed to death by her attendant.

It was this hesitation that made the maid opposite her about to scream.

Li Zheng subconsciously tightened his wrist, and the axe flew out of his hand, chopping straight into the maid's chest.

The maid fell to the ground without being able to cry out.

Li Zheng was stunned for a moment, his feelings were hard to describe.

But he quickly recovered, stepped over the maid's corpse, and walked deeper into the area.

Li Zheng led his men through the alley, and as soon as they emerged, they bumped into a group of servants from the Zhang family.

"Who are you?!"

Taking advantage of the servants' stunned silence, Li Zheng pounced forward and killed three people in quick succession.

The others screamed and scattered, but Tang Meng and his men chased after them and killed them one by one.

But the screams had already reached the outside world, alarming the entire Zhang residence.

Li Zheng shook the blood off his knife, showing no panic.

He knew it would alert them; after all, his group were bandits, not special forces, and they were already lucky to have gotten into the courtyard.

He grabbed Wang Xun and demanded, "Where is Zhang Pin at this hour?"

Wang Xun's voice trembled: "Books...study or bedroom."

Li Zheng turned to Tang Meng and said, "Take the men to the bedroom."

He then waved his hand at Yan Yun: "Take the crossbowmen to the front hall and block the main gate. No one is allowed to enter or leave. If any yamen runners or soldiers come, try to delay them and buy some time."

The two responded in unison and each led their men away.

Li Zheng, carrying a knife, ran straight towards the study.

In the study, Zhang Pin was staring intently at a newly written calligraphy piece when he suddenly heard a commotion outside.

Zhang Pin, whose family was very strict, immediately said with displeasure, "Wang Cheng, go out and see who's making a scene?"

The steward, Wang Cheng, responded and went out, returning moments later: "Master! Something terrible has happened! The bandits have broken in!"

"What?!" Zhang Pin's hand trembled, and the brush fell onto the rice paper. "Where did these bandits come from?"

"I don't know. They seem to have ill intentions. You should probably avoid them, sir."

Zhang Pin was sweating profusely. He looked around and his gaze fell on the floor below the bed.

He immediately bent down and lay down: "I'll hide first, you go and deal with it."

Wang Cheng's expression hardened, and he straightened his back: "Rest assured, sir, I am utterly loyal to the Zhang family and will protect them with my life!"

Zhang Pin was moved: "Good! If we can get through this calamity, I will treat your family well."

Just as he crawled under the bed, the study door was kicked open.

Wang Cheng turned around, his face resolute, ready to fight to the death.

The person who kicked the door open was Li Zheng, followed by Wang Xun, who was being held at knifepoint.

Li Zheng pointed his knife at Wang Cheng and demanded, "Where is Zhang Pin?"

Wang Cheng paused for a moment, then pointed without hesitation to the floor under the bed: "Hero, it's right here!"

He truly wanted to serve the Zhang family loyally, but unfortunately, he was their only son, and now he was in the hands of thieves.

If the father and son both die here, even if the master survives, who will he treat well?

Li Zheng was taken aback by his quick agreement.

He immediately realized what was happening, pointed under the bed and laughed, "Someone, please invite the prefect out for a chat."

Two henchmen immediately stepped forward and dragged Zhang Pin out, one on each side.

But Zhang Pin's hair was mostly disheveled, and a section of his robe was tucked into his belt; he looked nothing like a prefect.

After Zhang Pin stood still, he glared at Wang Cheng, while Wang Cheng silently pulled his son back to the corner of the wall.

Li Zheng bowed slightly, his face beaming, and said, "Prefect Zhang, how have you been?"

Zhang Pin withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath, and forced himself to remain calm, saying, "May I ask who you are, brave warrior, and why you have stormed my residence?"

Li Zheng smiled and didn't expose him: "I am Li Zheng, the leader of the Black Wind Bandits. I would like to invite the prefect to come with me."

"You're Li Zheng?"

Zhang Pin frowned: "Do you know that plundering a county town is a serious crime? You even dare to come to the prefectural capital to forcibly abduct me? Do you truly disregard the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty?"

"That's far too audacious. You'd better retreat now, and I can still try to persuade the court to grant you amnesty sooner."

Seeing that the corrupt official was disrespectful to Li Zheng, the two henchmen behind him could not stand it and rolled up their sleeves to step forward.

Li Zheng raised his hand to block, and said unhurriedly, "I dare not, I just want to start a business and borrow some capital from the prefect."

"What capital?"

"May I use the weapons and horses that the prefect traded with the Liao people for a while?" Li Zheng asked casually. "I'll return them to you once I've seized new ones from the government troops."

Zhang Pin's expression changed drastically, his eyes widening: "You!"

Before he could finish speaking, a henchman rushed in: "Brother! Someone's attacking the mansion!"