latelenovela Chapter 498 Burning Down the Eunuch's Mansion
Chapter 498 Burning Down the Eunuch's Mansion
At this moment, the Imperial Guard who had followed them in quickly stopped them: "General Liu, Chang Kun was personally appointed by the Emperor to be arrested and brought to the capital by the Imperial Guard. We cannot harm him!"
Liu Ye asked in surprise, "Are you blind? Didn't you see that Eunuch Chang was contemplating suicide? I'm going in to save him!"
The Imperial Guard opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word. He hadn't expected the other party to be even more shameless than himself, lying without batting an eye.
Qin Tian didn't hear the Embroidered Uniform Guard's words at all. Once he had his bow and arrow in hand, his whole aura changed. He drew his bow to its full strength, ready to fire but not yet, and the air seemed to be filled with a murderous aura. With just himself and his bow, he faced more than a dozen powerful crossbows, and his momentum actually overwhelmed his opponents.
The guards on the other side knew this was a deterrent; whoever fired their crossbow first would be met with arrows from the opposite side. They licked their lips, glanced around, and none dared to be the first to step forward. They were good at bullying ordinary people with Chang Kun, but they couldn't compare to professional soldiers. In this life-or-death standoff, they were all on high alert, large beads of sweat sliding down their foreheads.
At that moment, a raging fire broke out in the room behind them. The beams, pillars, doors, and windows crackled and popped as they burned. A wave of intense heat hit them, and the servants knew that their mission was complete.
They looked at each other and both saw a sense of retreat in each other's eyes.
A window, burned to the point of being half-burnt, fell into the crowd amidst flames. As if it were a signal, all the servants cried out, avoided the half-burnt window, and scattered in all directions.
At this moment, Qin Tian finally made his move, releasing the bowstring and sending an arrow flying like a meteor, impaling two fleeing servants together, who fell to the ground. The reason he had held back earlier was to avoid unnecessary casualties on his side from the powerful crossbow, especially the possibility of injuring Liu Ye. Now that the enemy had lost the will to resist, it was the perfect opportunity to strike.
From the moment they fled, the servants had given up on fighting back, and when attacked by arrows from behind, they didn't even turn back to resist. But how could two legs outrun arrows?
Qin Tian didn't stop once he started. He drew arrows from his quiver, drew his bow, shot, and drew again, repeating the cycle endlessly, dazzling the onlookers. Arrows flew out with a "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh," as if they had eyes, finding their respective targets and embedding themselves deeply in the backs of the servants. One after another, the servants fell, none escaping unscathed.
When the door was burned down and crashed to the ground with a loud bang, sparks flying everywhere, there were no longer any enemies standing in Qin Tian's and the others' sight.
The Imperial Guard standing nearby was stunned by Qin Tian's performance; he had never seen such a divine archer. After regaining his senses and seeing the fire raging within the inner courtyard, he knew Chang Kun was doomed. Sensing danger, he quickly slipped out to discuss a plan with his companions.
Looking at the raging fire before him, Liu Ye frowned. He couldn't believe Chang Kun would willingly surrender, but how could he escape from such a raging inferno? He ordered Qin Tian, "Have the special forces block all the doors of the Chang residence. Anyone who tries to come out, kill them without mercy!"
The Imperial Guards at the gate were stunned when they received news of Chang Kun's suicide. How were they going to explain this when they returned to the capital? One of the Imperial Guards slapped himself, filled with regret, "Damn it, I shouldn't have accepted this money, it's a hot potato."
His companion nudged him, "Boss, look outside. Even if we don't take the money, what do they want to do? Can we stop them?"
Looking up, Xiao Qi saw a large group of soldiers who, after receiving orders, had split into several small teams and were jogging in neat steps along the wall towards both sides of the Chang residence, seemingly heading to seal the gates. A moment later, a commotion of voices arose from afar, followed by screams; it seemed that someone trying to escape through the side gate had been killed.
He gasped, "Forcing Chang Kun to his death isn't enough, is this going to wipe out the entire family?"
Liu Ye stood guard outside the fire, listening to the soldiers' constant reports.
"Ximen intercepted several maids and servants, but did not see Chang Kun."
"The back door blocked several cooks, and we didn't see Chang Kun either."
"..."
Could Chang Kun really have burned to death inside? Liu Ye stared at the raging fire ahead, wondering if he should examine the body after the fire died down. After all, eunuchs were missing something compared to normal people, so even if someone was burned to death, they could still be vaguely identified. However, just thinking about it made him feel disgusted.
However, fate was kind to him and didn't force him to do such a disgusting thing. Just as the fire was gradually dying down, there was a commotion outside the door. A group of Ming soldiers escorted in a disheveled man and said to Liu Ye, "Lord Pingnan, we were ordered by the Duke of Wei to seal the city gates and capture this fellow. The Duke of Wei ordered us to bring him here for you to deal with."
Shimazu Chiyo used the scabbard to press against the man's chin, lifting his head. Liu Ye took a closer look and laughed; it was actually an old acquaintance.
"Young Master Chang, how have you been? Do you still remember me, Xia?"
This man was Chang Wei, Chang Kun's adopted son. Upon seeing Liu Ye, he immediately smiled obsequiously and said, "How could I not remember! I offended the Earl of Pingnan before, but please forgive my rudeness and don't take it to heart."
Liu Ye said leisurely, "There are no fathers and sons in business. Since we are doing business, it is normal to have competition. I don't plan to dwell on those trivial matters from the past."
Chang Wei was overjoyed and bowed deeply, saying, "The Earl of Pingnan is indeed a magnanimous man; I admire him greatly."
“However, you must tell me where your godfather is today.” Liu Ye pointed at the fire. “Don’t tell me you also believe your godfather would commit suicide?”
Chang Wei's eyes darted around, and he put on a sorrowful expression: "What, Godfather... Godfather, why did you think of doing this...?" As he spoke, he began to wail.
Liu Ye observed his expression and saw that there wasn't a single tear in his eyes; it was just dry sobbing. Although there might not be any genuine father-son affection between godfathers and godsons bound by such a relationship of mutual benefit, it was highly suspicious that Chang Wei showed no surprise at all upon hearing the news of his godfather's death.
He instructed his men, "Young Master Chang is so heartbroken, we must grant his wish. Lift him up and throw him into the fire to accompany our godfather on his journey."
Several Japanese samurai responded, "Hai!" and then hurriedly lifted Chang Wei up, making a move to throw him into the fire.
A wave of heat hit him, almost scorching his eyebrows. Panicked, he struggled violently, shouting, "Don't throw me in! Uncle Pingnan, I remember now, there's a trap in Father's room..."
With a "thud," Chang Wei was thrown to the ground. Ignoring the burning pain all over his body, he crawled to Liu Ye's feet and hurriedly confessed, "Lord Pingnan, I'll tell you everything. My godfather dug a tunnel in his mansion, the entrance is under the bed. As long as the lid is closed from the inside, once the fire starts, the house will collapse, and no one will find out..."