Above the General’s Mansion, dark clouds churned, carrying with them the sounds of unyielding grief and fury.
“Run, Miss!”
“Don’t come back, Miss!”
“The General is innocent!”
“The Emperor is unjust! He will die sooner or later!”
Only then did Xie Zhizhi realize that they had heard the imperial guards in the main hall saying that the General and the young master were already dead, and that the young lady was to be executed on the spot. That was why they were so agitated!
Wait, wasn’t she the young lady?
The Dog Emperor wanted to kill her outright?
Thank goodness she ran fast!
Like a stone thrown into a calm lake, everyone turned pale, unable to accept that the General and the young master had actually died!
Even more unbearable was the thought of the young lady being killed!
“Outrageous!” The commander’s face gradually turned cold, his sharp ceremonial blade unsheathing.
A ruthless slash, and blood droplets flew.
The guard who had dared to call the Emperor unjust opened his blood-drenched mouth. Despite the unbearable pain, he remained steadfast and unyielding.
His round eyes, wide as copper bells, glared at the imperial guards as he struggled to move his lips, vowing never to submit!
The surrounding guards were not afraid either. In any case, death was inevitable. They had all been personally trained by the General, had fought on the battlefield, and were filled with fervor, willingly staying behind to protect the General’s Mansion.
Now that the young lady was about to be killed, how could they face the General if they were exiled and lived on in disgrace?
A sorrowful sense of helplessness permeated the entire courtyard.
General, we failed to protect the young lady. We are sorry.
“So stubborn? Then watch your young lady die with your own eyes!” The commander, unnerved by the glare, averted his gaze. Those who had been on the battlefield were truly different. He let out a cold, heavy laugh.
Wasting no time, he immediately rushed to the study.
Earlier, they had already checked the inner chambers but found no trace of Xie Zhizhi.
The Emperor had issued two death orders.
First: Xie Zhizhi must be killed.
Second: A leather military map must be found in Xie Zongyi’s study.
“Bang!”
Commander Liu roughly extended his leg and violently kicked open the study door, filled with arrogance. But when he saw the scene inside the study…
His pupils contracted, his eyes widened in shock, and he instinctively took a step back, his hand already resting on his ceremonial blade.
“Damn this General’s Mansion! Why are there so many snakes? Where did all the heavy items in the study go?”
The commander let out a terrified roar, and the imperial guards behind him hurriedly stepped forward.
“Commander Liu! Those are silver-ringed snakes!” one of the imperial guards recognized the snakes in the study and screamed.
Everyone was horrified upon hearing this. Silver-ringed snakes were extremely venomous, and without an antidote within two hours, death was certain!
At the far end of the empty study, over twenty small black-and-white snakes coiled and intertwined. Their dark backs were crisscrossed with narrow, milky-white stripes, their tails slender and pointed, and their dark-brown heads slightly raised as they moved.
Seeing the door open and the people at the entrance, the silver-ringed snakes, agitated by the unfamiliar environment, stared at them menacingly.
The next moment, they suddenly attacked in unison.
Chaos erupted instantly. A single bite from these snakes was no joke—it meant meeting the King of Hell on the spot.
Thirty imperial guards crowded at the entrance, each drawing their blades to fend off the silver-ringed snakes lunging at them!
“Hurry! Kill them all!”
“Ah!”
“Commander, watch out on your left!”
“Ugh, Commander, save me! I’ve been bitten!”
“Why are there so many… in General Xie’s study? Ah! It hurts!”The out-of-control servants and guards of the General’s Mansion quickly stood up, each feigning panic as they ran outside, but inwardly relieved that the young lady was not in the mansion, hoping she could escape unscathed.
Soon, four or five imperial guards were bitten by snakes, yet the snakes could not be killed no matter what.
The reason was simple.
Xie Zhizhi had been watching from inside her Space, using her thoughts to control its movement away from the study.
Whenever she saw a snake trying to slither away over the wall or was about to be killed, she would teleport it back into her Space from a distance.
It wasn’t until the commander was bitten twice that she finally retrieved all the little snakes.
At the entrance of the study, the imperial guards who hadn’t been bitten were dumbfounded, standing frozen in place, trembling all over. Ten men lay on the ground, their faces already turning blue.
“Commander! Commander, are you alright?”
“There are ghosts! Those snakes are gone!”
“Run!”
“The General’s Mansion is haunted!”
The unknown is the most terrifying. Over twenty snakes had mysteriously appeared and then vanished without a trace.
Only the two red marks on their arms and ankles reminded them that what had just happened was real!
Xie Zhizhi paid no mind to their panic. She was already controlling her Space, drifting toward the armory.
That Dog Emperor was truly a dog!
Everyone else was exiled!
But she was to be executed on the spot!
Humiliation.
It was absolutely humiliating!
How would the people the Original Host had clashed with in the past mock her!
Just watch me empty your national treasury!
Xie Zhizhi arrived at the armory. The main door had already been violently pried open, with over a dozen imperial guards tightly surrounding the three large armory rooms.
It seemed as if not even a fly could get in.
She loved nothing more than throwing a wrench in the works when others thought they had victory in hand. Hehe.
Two imperial guards stationed at the entrance were still chatting.
Imperial Guard One idly remarked, “Why is it so noisy outside?”
Imperial Guard Two sighed, “When has a house raid ever been quiet?” He was already used to it.
Imperial Guard One leaned in closer, whispering, “Why hasn’t Deputy Commander Liu come out yet?”
Imperial Guard Two, envious and jealous, held up five fingers and flipped them several times. “He won’t come out until he’s taken at least this much!”
Imperial Guard One was also envious. The general had fought on the battlefield for fifteen years, resisting three nations and receiving many surrender tributes. His late wife also had a dowry, so there must be plenty of valuable items.
The surrounding imperial guards were filled with envy and jealousy toward the deputy commander inside. After all, he was the commander’s brother.
Moreover, Commander Liu was the Emperor’s trusted confidant. If he quietly took a little, the Emperor usually turned a blind eye.
Every time there was a house raid, Deputy Commander Liu would always head straight to the armory. Others couldn’t envy this “favor” from the Emperor—they could only seethe with jealousy inside.
So when they later discovered that all the gold, silver, and jewels inside were gone, their backlash would be even fiercer.
Xie Zhizhi passed by them silently, hearing someone inside, and grinned mischievously.
The scapegoat had delivered himself right to her doorstep.
These two brothers were really having a stroke of bad luck today.