The Later Three Kingdoms: Slaying Deng Ai, and Reviving the Han Dynasty

The night was dark with few stars and a gentle breeze.

The waves were gentle.

This is the dock, where many ships are moored. Among them are some merchant ships, with strong men carrying swords, bows, and arrows standing guard and patrolling.

There were more than a dozen able-bodied men, several maids, and an old woman on the He family's boat.

But because there were so many boats at the dock, there was no precaution.

Five burly men wearing black hoods had two weapons at their waists: a sword and a ring-pommel saber.

Each carried a bow and arrows. They appeared in the shadows, one of them carrying a thick rope, which he easily swung and secured to the boat. He was extremely agile, nimbly climbing onto the boat along the rope.

The other four followed closely behind.

After the five men boarded the ship, they immediately formed a battle formation. Three burly men, wielding greatswords, strode forward, while two others drew their bows and arrows, nocking them and preparing to shoot.

Because they didn't know where He Sui was, they could only search each room one by one.

The first room was the wrong one.

This alarmed several of the He family's strongmen.

"Thieves!!!!!" one of the strong men shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Pfft, pfft."

"Ah!!!" The five strong men worked together and quickly killed the few able-bodied men.

The He family couple were fast asleep on the couch, and a maid was dozing off.

I heard a noise.

The three of them woke up together.

The maid looked terrified. Lady Lü was slightly stronger than the maid, but only slightly, and immediately reached out to grab He Sui's hand.

He remained extremely calm.

"My lord, what should we do?" Lady Lü asked in a trembling voice.

He Sui immediately pushed Lu Shi aside, drew the greatsword hanging on the wall to defend himself, and said, "It's too late to escape. Watch me deal with these stupid thieves."

He was quite confident because he had made two preparations.

"Madam and your maidservants should hide behind the couch and make no noise, lest the thief be tempted by your beauty," He Sui added.

"Hmm." Madam Lü calmed down a bit more, nodded, and quickly pulled the maid's hand behind the couch, covering the maid's mouth tightly to prevent her from losing her composure.

Not long after, five strong men broke into the room of the He family couple.

He Sui looked at their figures and the weapons they were equipped with, and his expression immediately became much more serious.

"Fellow warriors, I am He Sui, a renowned scholar from Shu, and my master is Qiao Gong, a great Confucian scholar from Yizhou. My friends are all over Sichuan and my master's disciples are all over Yizhou. If you kill me, you will surely be pursued by the authorities, which will be a great loss. There are more than seventy taels of gold and three bolts of Shu brocade in that box. Take them all with you, and I promise not to report it to the authorities."

While looking solemn, He Sui used his sword to defend himself and pointed at the box.

He is very confident.

The thief only seeks wealth, not life. As long as he cooperates and hands over the treasure, plus his reputation as a famous scholar from Sichuan, he can succeed.

That would scare the thieves away, and the matter would end there.

"Ugh!!!" He Sui's face showed disbelief. He looked down at the arrow stuck in his neck, watching the blood spurt out.

The sword fell to the ground, and only one thought occupied his mind.

Impossible!!! Aren't thieves after money?

I actually died at the hands of thieves!!! The Liu Han dynasty is about to perish, and I'll soon be on my way to great heights.

But I...

The next moment, he completely lost consciousness.

A burly man wielding a sword stepped forward and delivered the final blow to He Sui, ensuring that He Sui was completely dead.

The two strong men picked up the box containing the gold that He Sui had mentioned, threw away the Shu brocade, quickly left the room, and leaped into the cold river water, disappearing from sight.

"My lord!!!!" Upon hearing the sound of someone falling to the ground, Lady Lü sensed something was wrong and rushed out. When she saw He Sui's body lying in a pool of blood, her eyes widened in horror, and she screamed and fainted.

What happened on He Sui's boat immediately alarmed the entire dock.

Soon the news spread that He Sui, a disciple of Qiao Zhou, a great Confucian scholar from Yizhou, and a renowned scholar from Shu, had died at the hands of bandits.

..........

morning.

Chengdu.

Qiao Zhou's Residence.

At this time, the spring chill was intense, and Qiao Zhou, being old, caught a cold. He then submitted a memorial to the emperor requesting to stay home and recuperate.

The emperor ordered the imperial physician to treat Qiao Zhou and bestowed upon him medicinal herbs.

Qiao Zhou's condition gradually improved, and he sat in his room warming himself by the fire.

"If I die now, all my deeds will vanish into nothingness. Only if I live until the fall of the Liu Han dynasty will Cao Wei reward my contributions." Qiao Zhou felt his aging body was uncontrollably heading towards collapse, and he was somewhat worried. But then a force, like a ball of fire, stabilized his body.

He cannot die yet.

If I were to die now, I would die with my eyes wide open in disbelief.

He wanted to make the Qiao family rise to prominence.

The surge of power invigorated Qiao Zhou. Just then, the tightly closed door was pushed open.

Although the door closed quickly, it still made Qiao Zhou shudder.

Qiao Zhou looked up and saw his eldest son, Qiao Xi, panting heavily with a very pale face.

His heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "What happened?"

After taking a few deep breaths, Qiao Xi exhaled and said in a low voice, "Father was killed by thieves."

"What did you say?" Qiao Zhou was struck dumb, staring in disbelief. Then, his head spun around as if he were floating on clouds, and he fell to the ground.

"Father!" Qiao Xi exclaimed in alarm and rushed forward to support Qiao Zhou, helping him catch his breath.

Qiao Zhou took a long time to recover, his face ashen, his voice hoarse as he said, "A thief? He's always been out and about without incident. What a coincidence! Could it be Jiang Weiqian?"

"Possibly." Qiao Xi nodded slowly, a glint of light in his eyes.

Jiang Wei was a true general when he commanded the elite troops of Hanzhong. After entering the court, he automatically relinquished his military power.

However... it's not impossible that Jiang Wei's personal guards, who are elite, could disguise themselves as thieves. Moreover, Jiang Wei is utterly loyal to Liu Han and must hate them to the core.

"Tell everyone to be careful and minimize their activities outside. I will immediately submit a memorial to the Emperor to thoroughly investigate this matter. You should contact people to criticize Jiang Wei and use public opinion to suppress him."

"Let...let someone go to offer condolences."

As he finished speaking, Qiao Zhou clenched his hands, revealing a sorrowful expression. He Sui, at such a young age, had already become famous throughout Shu. He was outstanding in appearance, demeanor, and talent, yet he tragically died young.

"Jiang Wei..." Qiao Zhou gritted his teeth and said.

"Yes, Father." Qiao Xi agreed, first saying a few words to Qiao Zhou to take care of his health, before turning and walking out.

News of He Sui's death spread rapidly in Chengdu, and then, through Chengdu, spread throughout Yizhou.

This is an extremely important person.

He is also a very crucial figure.

A highly influential person.

.......

Lai Zhongjia.

Lai Zhong also fell ill, so he was not working at the General's Mansion. Instead, he stayed home to recuperate.

It wasn't a serious illness, and he was almost fully recovered. He planned to go back to work tomorrow. Then he heard the news of He Sui's death.

Lai Zhong knew he was in trouble.

Jiang Weizhong was a traitor to Qiao Zhou.

Jiang Wei is now focused on dealing with Huang Hao, leaving Qiao Zhou out in the cold. But Qiao Zhou is unaware of Jiang Wei's plans.

He Sui's death will likely be attributed to Jiang Wei.

but......

Although he didn't know who had done it, it was certainly a swift and decisive act. Lai Zhong dared not delay and immediately ordered carriages and horses to be prepared.

After tidying his clothes, he immediately took a carriage to the General's Mansion.