The Thief Prince

At Shi Wenli's command, several soldiers were about to step forward to arrest him.

Suddenly, a dark figure darted out from the side, and a carrying pole came crashing down on Shi Wenli's face.

Shi Wenli immediately let out a miserable howl, sat down on the ground with a thud, covered his nose and burst into tears.

But then Liu Fu, holding a carrying pole, pointed at Shi Wenli on the ground and cursed, "You old scoundrel! You dog! How dare you distort the truth and frame my master?!"

Liu Fu served his master his whole life, accompanying him on his travels all over the country. Although he had no martial arts skills, he had developed considerable strength.

The blow from the carrying pole was so forceful that Shi Wenli's nose bled profusely, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

Shi Wenli immediately flew into a rage, shouting in a tearful voice, "Take them all! Take them all!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers swarmed forward.

The servants, not to be outdone, grabbed their weapons and pounced on him.

The two sides clashed, pushing and shoving each other, the sounds of clashing knives and sticks echoing continuously.

In the chaos, a soldier was struck on the head by a servant's stick, and his eyes immediately turned red.

He suddenly drew his sword and stabbed at the servant holding the stick.

The servant groaned, looked down at the knife stuck in his stomach, collapsed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then lay still.

Those nearby, seeing the dead man, were filled with rage. Several servants rushed forward and fought recklessly, while the soldiers drew their swords to fight back.

Within a few breaths, four or five more people fell into pools of blood.

Even Liu Fu, who had been stabbed in the arm, still clung to the carrying pole and fought with the soldiers.

Seeing his servants, who had served him for many years, fall one by one, Liu Ruozai felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

He suddenly pulled a dagger from his sleeve and held it to his neck:

"Stop it, all of you!"

Everyone looked over and saw Liu Ruozai with a resolute expression, the dagger in his hand already embedded in his flesh, a thin line of blood seeping out.

Liu Fu and the others quickly urged, "Master! Put it down!"

Shi Wenli covered his nose and got up. When he saw what was happening, his face turned pale with fright.

Liu Ruozai was a retired fifth-rank official in the capital, no less than a minor figure.

If the officials of the court ever think of him again and want to reinstate him, only to find out that he died at their own hands, they will feel that even ten lives wouldn't be enough to atone for it.

He immediately shouted, "Stop! Stop it, everyone!"

Both sides then stopped.

Liu Ruozai's face was ashen as he said to Shi Wenli, "I will have them lay down their weapons and come with you, but they must agree to one condition!"

"Please speak, my lord."

"Spare the lives of my servants, and they must not cause me any trouble in the future. Otherwise, I will die in the Dang County government office, and your tenure as county magistrate will be over."

Shi Wenli felt uneasy under his gaze and dared not say anything more: "Your Excellency is very understanding and righteous. I agree."

Having said that, he ordered the yamen runners and soldiers to put away their swords.

Liu Ruozai then looked at the group of servants: "You all, lay down your weapons. We, master and servant, have been together for many years. Please follow me one last time."

"I assure you, absolutely no one will dare to harm you."

"Master..." Everyone had tears in their eyes.

"There's no need to worry about me. Justice will prevail." Liu Ruozai shook his head and said nothing more.

Liu Ruozai and his servants were taken away. Shi Wenli looked at the manor in front of him, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes.

Liu Ruozai was indeed from a wealthy family, but he was also charitable, so his family didn't have much surplus wealth.

What Shi Wenli really valued was the precious books in that study.

There is a wealth of knowledge in books; not only is the knowledge in books valuable, but the books themselves are also very valuable.

Well-preserved books are worth anywhere from one to over ten strings of cash.

Some handwritten rare books are priceless and are the best choice for gifts and bribes to superiors.

Shi Wenli summoned several yamen runners, including Wei San, and whispered a few instructions to them.

Although Wei San and the others felt contempt, they knew that a higher-ranking official could have absolute power, and besides, the county magistrate had direct jurisdiction over the yamen runners.

With no other option, the group had to accept their assignments and, carrying their fire sticks, went back into the courtyard.

Everyone else went to the study, but Wei San didn't want to get involved, so he slowly strolled into the ancestral hall.

The ancestral tablets of the Liu family were enshrined in the hall. He glanced around, his heart pounding slightly.

Wei San had worked in Dang County for more than ten years. Before Liu Ruozai sold the manor, he had visited the original owner several times.

I learned that there was a cellar entrance behind the ancestral hall, which was originally used to store wine in the early years, but was later converted into a place to store miscellaneous items.

So he muttered to himself, "The magistrate insisted on searching us before leaving, so there's nothing left. It's a pointless search."

Reaching the base of the wall, he rubbed the loose floor tiles with the tip of his boot: "I wonder if there are mouse holes behind here, or cats and dogs hiding there."

A soft sound came from the cellar, as if someone had moved.

Wei San's heart tightened, but he remained expressionless. He casually pulled the straw curtain next to him towards the wall to cover the gap in the cellar.

A constable peeked out and asked, "Brother Wei, how's it going on your end?"

Wei San stood up, dusted off his hands, and raised his voice, saying, "This ancestral hall is spotless; there's nothing there."

The constable didn't think much of it and retreated.

Wei San sighed, his mind drifting back to Liu Ruozai's many acts of kindness in Dang County.

Such a person has fallen to this state.

He bowed respectfully to the Liu family ancestral tablet, then muttered to himself, as if speaking to someone:

"We were gone in a quarter of an hour. Wang Sheng had kicked down a section of the backyard wall. We could have easily climbed over it with a few quick steps."

"Don't go to Dang County anymore, and don't look for Master Liu again. Go as far away as you can."

After saying that, he picked up the fire-and-water stick and strode out of the ancestral hall.

Shi Wenli moved the entire manor clean before returning to the county, completely satisfied.

Half an hour later, a soft sound came from the floor tiles of the ancestral hall, followed by the appearance of a crack.

A hand reached out from the crack and groped its way to open the cellar door, revealing a series of small faces inside.

The oldest boy peeked out first, looked around to make sure no one was in the yard, and then turned back to pull the younger ones up one by one.

Several children stood at the entrance of the ancestral hall, but the courtyard was quiet, with patches of bloodstains still on the ground.

The sun was no longer so scorching, and the big tree in the courtyard was still there, but the figure reading was no longer to be seen.

The children finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears.

Finally, the oldest boy spoke up: "Don't cry, Master Liu has already let them take them away!"

A thinner child asked, "What should we do then?"

The little girl suddenly looked up and said, "We can go find the hero!"

All the children looked at her.

The eldest boy paused for a moment, thought for a second, and nodded: "Yes, my valiant brother will help my husband."

The children helped each other out of the manor, ran onto the main road, and headed towards the martial world.