“Elder Sister!” Yu Xiuzhu was so frightened his soul nearly flew from his body, rushing forward as if his life depended on it.
“Eldest Miss!”
The guards who had rushed over upon hearing the whistle entered Songfeng Yuan and were met with this scene, exclaiming in shock.
They saw Yu Sheng dodging left and right amidst the onslaught of a group of black-clad assailants, fighting while retreating, luring them to the center of the courtyard before leaping up and forcefully stepping on one of the bluestone slabs.
In an instant, the surrounding ground suddenly gave way, and over a dozen black-clad figures fell into the trap. Before they could even think of how to avoid the sharp blades below, iron bars suddenly appeared above their heads.
The bars swiftly closed, trapping them all in an iron cage.
The change happened in the blink of an eye.
Yu Xiuzhu, who had rushed over so quickly he nearly stumbled into the iron cage, forced himself to stop, swaying several times before barely steadying himself. Still shaken, he asked, “When were these mechanisms and iron cages installed in this courtyard?”
Such mechanisms and iron cages required considerable effort and planning, clearly not installed recently. Yet, as the Fifth Young Master of Yujia, living in Yu Yuan, he had been completely unaware of their existence.
The others in the courtyard were also astonished, momentarily unable to react: Was it all over already?
They had run through Yu Yuan as if flying, nearly losing their shoes in the process, only to arrive at Songfeng Yuan and find that the Eldest Miss had already finished the fight? And all the assailants captured?
A-Mo, who had rushed over in a flash, also awkwardly sheathed her broadsword. Hearing the commotion, she hadn’t entered the courtyard but stood atop the wall with her blade resting on her shoulder, her black robes gently fluttering in the night breeze.
A-Mo’s eyes were still covered by that black silk ribbon, seemingly blind yet perceiving everything as if she could see. She remarked with some regret, “I actually arrived too late. I had hoped to earn some silver from you, but who knew you’d handle all these people yourself.”
“You’re not late,” Yu Sheng said, holding her sword and looking up toward the eaves. “There are still others.”
Upon hearing this, the guards immediately went on high alert, warily watching the eaves above.
“They’re just watching the show, not here to kill,” A-Mo said, crossing her arms, still looking as leisurely as someone who had eaten too much and come out to enjoy the breeze with her broadsword.
“Ahem!” The leader of the guards stood up from behind the eaves, cleared his throat, and announced loudly, “I am Jinfeng, under orders from the Shizi to clear out the intruders who have infiltrated Yu Yuan.”
The other dozen or so guards poked their heads out, looking toward Yu Sheng.
Who would have thought that Eldest Miss Yu, such a great beauty, could wield a sword and take on ten opponents without difficulty?
Songfeng Yuan had also been rigged with mechanisms long ago. Before they could even act, all the black-clad, masked intruders who had broken into Yu Yuan that night had been captured.
If they were to report this back to the Shizi, they wouldn’t even know how to explain it!
Yu Sheng looked at the speaker. He did seem somewhat familiar—likely someone she had seen once before, accompanying Sheng Huaijin.
That Shiziye had received the evidence she sent over without a word in response, yet he hadn’t forgotten to send people to assist.
“The Shizi is considerate,” Yu Sheng said, taking a silk handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe the blood from her sword, her voice gentle. “Since you are friends, not foes, please come down and speak.”
Jinfeng reluctantly led the group of guards down from the eaves, offering Yu Sheng a half-bow.
They had been ordered to assist, but she had already neatly taken care of the assailants herself. Now, with nothing left to do, they felt somewhat awkward.
“How does Eldest Miss Yu plan to deal with these people?”
After all, they had served the Shiziye for years, and they quickly found something else to attend to.
Yu Sheng pondered briefly, then gave a slight nod to the crowd. “I must trouble you all to help me bind these people and take them to the Shizi.”
Jinfeng was somewhat surprised. “Does Miss Yu not intend to question them first?”
“No need.” Yu Sheng looked down at the black-clad men trapped in the iron cage. The first few who had fallen in had already been pierced multiple times by the blades below, bleeding profusely and now barely clinging to life.
A few others, stepping on their companions’ bodies, were frantically hacking at the iron cage with their knives, but despite their utmost efforts, they only managed to leave a series of slash marks on the bars.
Seeing no chance of escape, the black-clad men cursed incessantly:
“Do you think capturing us will solve anything?”
“Your Yujia’s days are numbered. If you don’t die today, you’ll die tomorrow!”
“Listen to what these black-clad men are saying,” Yu Sheng calmly analyzed. “Look at their weapons and attire—all uniform. Their fighting techniques when clashing with me were also nearly identical. They are definitely not ordinary bandits. Recently, the only powerful family my Yujia has offended is the Liyang Houfu.”
Jinfeng paused: What she said made so much sense that it made me seem like I was just stirring up trouble and making conversation for no reason.
Yu Sheng had another half of her thoughts that she didn’t voice directly.
In the Lizhou region, officials covering for one another was common practice. Even if she went to great lengths to make these black-clad men confess the truth and sent them to the local authorities as witnesses to accuse the Liyang Houfu, the local officials wouldn’t dare handle the matter.
It was better to hand them over to Sheng Huaijin.
This would also be a good opportunity to see if her ten thousand taels of gold were well spent.
As she spoke, Yu Sheng took a moment to glance back at Cui Gui and Guo Hu. Seeing they were both seriously injured, she said to the guards and servants who had arrived later:
“Bring stretchers. Carry the injured back for treatment. The rest of you, carefully search every corner of Yu Yuan.”
The guards and servants responded in unison, “Yes,” and busied themselves carrying and supporting the wounded.
“Xiao Wu,” she called out to Yu Xiuzhu. “Go and look after them. Make sure they lack nothing for hiring doctors or buying medicine.”
Yu Xiuzhu was fascinated by these iron cage mechanisms. The moment he saw them, he forgot all about the earlier fright. Only upon hearing his elder sister’s order did he withdraw his hand and reply, “Alright! I’ll go right away.”
After the chaos, the people of Yu Yuan gradually returned to order.
Jinfeng also regained his usual demeanor. “Since Miss Yu sees no need for further questioning, we will take these people back to the posthouse and hand them over to the Shizi for disposal.”
“I’ll open the cage. Everyone, be careful.” Yu Sheng turned and walked to the flowerbed to activate the mechanism.
The moment the iron bars retracted, several black-clad men thought they had a chance to escape and leaped out in a frantic rush. However, the iron bars shifted in height and length, swiftly hoisting them up again.
Now, the black-clad men had their knives confiscated and were still suspended. If a fire were lit beneath them, they could be roasted alive.
The guards: “…”
The close guards: “…”
“Now it’s convenient to bind them,” Yu Sheng said to Jinfeng and the others. “Go ahead.”
“Alright!” Jinfeng’s “alright” carried a note of excitement. He hadn’t expected that even a small family like the Yujia would have someone skilled in mechanical arts. He would definitely report this to the Shizi upon his return.
The close guards dislocated the black-clad men’s arms, tore off their face coverings, crumpled them into balls, and stuffed them into their mouths to prevent them from biting their tongues to commit suicide. With practiced movements, they bound all of them securely.
Not long after, Jinfeng and the others finished their tasks and bid farewell.
Yu Sheng seized the moment to speak: “What I promised the Shizi is now fully in my grasp. I wonder about the Shizi’s side?”
Jinfeng assured without hesitation: “Rest assured, Miss Yu, our Shizi has always kept his word.”
Yu Sheng nodded: “Then I must trouble you to remind the Shizi on my behalf—the three-day agreement has already passed half its time.”
Jinfeng replied with a complicated expression: “Miss Yu’s words, I will certainly convey.”
The group of Shizi’s guards bound the men in black and took them away.
When Yu Sheng looked up at the wall again, A-Mo had already left at some unknown time, leaving only sparse shadows slanting across the surface.
Servants came and went, sweeping the courtyard and washing away the bloodstains on the ground.
Yu Sheng walked to the main room and knocked twice, but there was no response from inside.
She pushed the door open directly. Seeing it pitch dark inside, she lit a fire striker and walked to the desk in the inner room, intending to light the lamp. Suddenly, a dark shadow darted out from under the table…