Her guards

Chapter 13 The Man Who Returns at Night

At night, Zhao County town resembles a ghost town.

There weren't even any soldiers patrolling the streets at night.

Doors and windows were tightly shut in the streets and alleys, and it was pitch black. The cries of children and the barking of dogs had all disappeared.

However, two places were brightly lit: one was the county government office in the city, and the other was the city gate.

Especially at the city gate where the corpses were laid out, in addition to lanterns, several torches were lit, making it as bright as day.

The dozen or so corpses laid out on the ground looked even more horrifying in the darkness and the scorching white light.

The guards on the city gate dared not look this way, only looking out of the city, but just thinking about the dozen or so corpses lying behind them sent chills down their spines.

"These damned embroidered robes are such a humiliation," a guard muttered under his breath.

They mistreat the dead, and they mistreat the living.

The guard next to him glanced around instinctively: "Keep your voice down, those people have very sharp ears. Do you want to be arrested as a suspect?"

It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned. Hearing this, the soldier became even angrier and snorted coldly, "Arrest them if you want. They clearly treat everyone in Zhao County as traitors. So many people have already been arrested by them, it'll be my turn sooner or later."

The soldier opened his mouth as if to say something, then turned to look at the city gate, his gaze falling on the brightly lit county government office in the darkness. He knew that there were many people in the county government office now; in addition to the officials, the powerful families in the city had all been invited there.

The embroidered-robe envoy said, "If one person can't recall the unusual plot of the Jiang family's rebellion, it might be better if everyone thinks about it together."

Thinking of that embroidered-robed envoy, the soldier couldn't help but shudder, feeling that he was more terrifying than the corpse on display.

The sound of horses' hooves reached his ears, and the guard quickly looked away from the city and saw several torches flashing as they drew closer. He could see that it was a group of more than a dozen people.

They were carrying torches, and some of them had flags stuck in their bodies.

"Weiyuan Escort Agency".

The guards on the city gate read it out.

At the same time, the group arrived at the city gate. The man in the lead, who was in his thirties, waved a invitation card in his hand.

"Wang San, we're back from our escort mission. We have a pass." he called out.

The guards on the city gate clearly recognized him, and some of them smiled and said, "Master Li is back." "He's been gone for half a month."

The city gates slowly opened.

The guards did not look at the pass the man handed them, which was obviously a common occurrence.

"Why is Master Li back at this time?" a guard asked.

Li Hao, the fourth master of Weiyuan Escort Agency, was displeased upon hearing this: "How can we escorts be on time?" He then pulled out his purse from his waist, "This is for the soldiers' tea money. Thank you all for your hard work."

The guard hurriedly pressed down on Li Hao's purse: "Fourth Master, Fourth Master, that's not what I meant. Oh, you've been out and don't know what's going on in the city."

Li Hao looked puzzled: "What's going on in the city?"

The guards recounted the story in a flurry of voices, leaving Li Hao and his bodyguards both shocked and furious.

"How could such a good person as Mr. Jiang have suffered such a fate?" "How could Mr. Jiang commit treason? Isn't this ridiculous?" "My child is studying under him, and he's a very good teacher."

The guards waved their hands and shook their heads, saying, "Stop talking, stop talking, that's how it is now." "Fourth Master, your father has also been invited to the county government office."

Li Hao cursed, "Isn't this bullying? My father injured his leg ten years ago while escorting goods. Can a cripple really kill someone?" He then tried to mount his horse, saying, "I'll go to the county government and have them arrest me, but not my father."

The guards and bodyguards hurriedly tried to persuade him, saying, "Don't be reckless," "There was no torture or forced confession," "Fourth Master, calm down," and "The old lady and mistress at home are in a panic; please go back and put their minds at ease."

It was probably when his grandmother and mother were mentioned that Li Hao suppressed his anger, mounted his horse, and said, "Let's go home first."

The bodyguards mounted their horses and went through the city gate. The city gate was brightly lit, and the group naturally saw the corpses lying on the ground. Li Hao seemed to want to dismount and pay his respects, but the bodyguards persuaded him not to. No matter what, the Jiang family had been labeled as treasonous, so it was better not to cause trouble.

Li Hao was persuaded to stop, but he still bowed halfway to the corpses on horseback before heading into the city.

The guards, witnessing this scene, marveled at how righteous and loyal Master Li was.

Because he was returning late at night and didn't want to disturb the elders in his family home, Li Hao led his bodyguards directly back to the escort agency. The agency, located on the street, lit up, but then went out again shortly afterward.

In a windowless storeroom in the backyard, a table of food and drink was set up. The bodyguards sat down, but instead of drinking heartily, they exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Fourth Master, are you really alright?" a bodyguard asked in a low voice. "The imperial officials are still here."

Li Hao picked up a pot of wine from the table and poured himself a cup: "What we need is for the imperial court to be here. Only then will we be safe when we come back. Didn't we say that the most dangerous place is the safest place?"

He picked up his wine glass and looked at the bodyguards.

"Who would have thought that we, who killed the entire Chiang family, would swagger into the city and go home?"

……

.......
A pot of wine was distributed in the storeroom, and everyone drank it, which relieved their tension.

"It's because you're so brave, Fourth Master. No one else would have the guts," everyone said.

Li Hao laughed, picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of food: "Fortune favors the bold. If you don't even have the guts, then you can only rely on escorting goods to make a living in your old age."

He sounded a little annoyed as he said this.

"We put in so much effort, but we still couldn't find the treasure map."

One of the bodyguards was also furious: "Jiang Wangchun is so weak that he can't even kill a chicken, yet he's so stubborn. No matter how we interrogate him, he won't say anything."

Another bodyguard said, "It seems that the treasure is very precious, and they value it more than their own lives."

“That’s a royal treasure, of course it’s valuable,” one of the bodyguards said with envy.

"Yes, who wouldn't want it?" Li Hao thought. "The Jiang family wouldn't say a word even if they died, which shows that it's something worth risking one's life for."

only…….
His face turned ugly, and he slammed his fist on the table.

"They must have been led away by that person."

Yes, it was clearly a very thorough plan, with an inside agent planted long ago and drugs administered beforehand. The Jiang family members were all knocked down, but one person still stumbled and broke through.

Moreover, the people they had deployed outside couldn't stop them; they chased for a whole day and night, and still lost track of the person.

"Fourth Master, that man had accomplices," one of the bodyguards said. "They suddenly appeared out of the mountains and caught us off guard. Luckily, we had a lot of men with us. We lost more than half of our men before we managed to take them down. I almost didn't make it back."

But the person they were looking for had completely vanished, undoubtedly having taken the opportunity to escape.

Li Hao sighed, "Let's continue the search once things have calmed down. Fortunately, my father made thorough arrangements and reported the Jiang family's treason beforehand. So, if they die, they die; the court doesn't care, and their accomplices don't dare to show their faces again." He then picked up his wine cup, "Come, come, let's not talk about anything discouraging. Although this time wasn't smooth, we're safe and sound. It's auspicious."

The bodyguards at the table raised their glasses, and just as they were about to drink together, the door creaked open and someone walked in.

Li Hao frowned: "I said you didn't need to come..."

As he spoke, he looked over, paused slightly, and the words "serve" he was about to say stopped in his throat.

This was a young man dressed in blue clothes. He wasn't holding any wine or food, but only a bamboo pole. He was politely closing the door behind him when he met Li Hao's gaze.

"Of course we have to come. It's dark and windy, and with court officials in charge, it's the perfect time to kill," he said, raising the bamboo pole in front of him. "Wouldn't it be a shame not to come now?"

(End of this chapter)