Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 337: Attack on the Mountain Road
After the plan was completed, Li Weijian drank the whole drink, then stood up and said, "My second brother is having his wedding night today, I can't disturb you any more. And the old concubine will be going to hold the ceremony tomorrow, so I have to go back early."

Jia Lian also stood up and said, "Brother Jian is right. In that case, I will send Brother Jian off."

Li Weijian refused twice, saying, "Brother Lian, please don't be so mean," and then walked away with big strides.

Jia Lian was very happy, thinking that the great event had been accomplished, and that he could finally give an explanation to the Eastern Palace. After seeing Li Weijian off, he turned around and sat down at the table, picked up the wine pot and began to drink by himself.

After finishing the cup, Third Sister You came out swinging her fan. She looked around and saw only Jia Lian. She frowned and asked, "Where are Master Li and Brother Jia?"

Jia Lian threw a piece of fish into his mouth and said with a smile, "Tomorrow we will send the spirit away. Brother Jian has to go back first. Brother Qiang said he had something to do at home, so he has also gone back now."

Third Sister You was immediately disappointed, and responded in a muffled voice, then turned around and went back to look for him. Just then, Old Lady You and Second Sister You tried to comfort her, saying that it was a rare opportunity to meet Li Weijian, and Third Sister You was always thinking about him, so they encouraged her to come out and drink with him.

The third sister was resisting in her heart. It was ok that she was unrestrained in her daily life, but now she was so unselfish in front of Master Li that she was afraid that people would look down on her even more.

Old Lady You tried to persuade him, "You are always a person with your own ideas. Why are you so shy now? If you go out to keep him company, Master Li might look down on you. But if you don't go out, I'm afraid Master Li would have forgotten who you are!"

Third Sister You thought about it and rushed out immediately, but she didn't expect to get nothing. Feeling disappointed, Third Sister You walked back in silence.

After a while, Jia Lian came back half drunk, and Old Lady You took Third Sister You away. Jia Lian looked at the beauty with drunken eyes and felt that she was particularly pleasing to the eye. That night, the two of them made love and were extremely affectionate. There is no need to describe them in detail.

Li Weijian led the guards back home. When they entered the inner house, Daiyu smelled the alcohol when she got close. She frowned and said, "Second Brother Lian is really... I can't describe it."

Li Weijian nodded and said, "I couldn't refuse, so I had to drink a few glasses with you. It's okay, we'll finish the wine tomorrow morning."

The two entered the main room of the east courtyard and saw Zijuan, Xueyan and Hongyu busying around. Daiyu said, "It's almost Qingming Festival and it's raining a lot these days. I'm afraid it'll be cold at night, so I asked someone to buy some more clothes for Fourth Brother." After a pause, she said, "Ding Rusong has led his men ahead. The curtains and bedding have been loaded into two carts. I think it will be enough for half a month."

Li Weijian pulled her hand and sat down, saying with a smile: "I don't have to worry about my sister thinking about me."

Daiyu said, "Men are responsible for the outside affairs, while women are responsible for the inside affairs. I am just doing my part." After a pause, she continued, "Yuanyang came just now and said that the old lady and the first lady brought six maids with them. Fourth brother will be gone for half a month this time. Do you want him to take two maids with him to serve him? Hongyu is meticulous and Xiuying is skillful. If he takes two little maids with him, it will be fine."

Li Weijian said, "I am going to see off the spirit, not to go sightseeing. The teacher only brought two servants with him this time, and it is not appropriate for me to show off at my age."

Seeing that Li Weijian was determined not to do it, Daiyu stopped insisting and instead sent someone to prepare some sobering soup. After watching Li Weijian drink it, she urged him to go to bed early.

Inside the Rongguo Mansion, the lights in the Yihong Courtyard were brightly on at this moment.

Tanchun had just stood up to leave when Ping'er came back inside and said, "Madam, Yuanyang said that the old lady's things have been packed and nothing will be missing."

Sister Feng leaned on the couch and said, "Yuanyang is a careful and considerate person, so I don't think she would make any mistakes. What does the eldest lady say?"

Ping Er smiled and said, "I have asked about it, and they said everything is settled." After a pause, she continued, "It's just that the Second Master hasn't come back yet."

Sister Feng sneered and said, "It will take half a month to go back and forth. Doesn't he want to hang out for a while before leaving?" After a pause, Sister Feng waved her hand, and Ping'er sat down obediently beside her.

Sister Feng lowered her voice and said, "Brother Jian is going this time too, so... don't you have any thoughts?"

Ping Er said with embarrassment, "Madam, what are you talking about? This time we are sending off the coffin!"

Sister Feng looked at Ping'er's expression and saw that she was clutching her hanging hair and turning away, her face flushed. She looked embarrassed and angry, but she was probably more embarrassed than angry.

Feng Jieer smiled and said, "Well, I can't leave you right now anyway. Why don't we wait a little longer?"

Ping Er immediately breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "I have sent four or five wives and several men to Xiaoci County first. I expect they will arrive in two days. By then, we will be able to make arrangements and everything will be fine."

Feng Jieer ignored him and said directly, "This time when I come back, Brother Jian will go to Jinmen and Liaodong for a tour. It just so happens that the Liaodong manor needs to be dealt with. You can go there for me then."

How could Ping'er not know what Fengjie meant? She could only respond quietly, but she couldn't help but feel flustered.

Seeing that she had agreed, Sister Feng could not help but say, "You are so awkward now. Who knows, you might thank me when you get something in the future." Ping'er stammered and said nothing, so Sister Feng turned to the business and said, "After we send the old lady off tomorrow, you can go to the cloth shop on my behalf. Yuchuan'er really doesn't want to stay in the mansion. Since I have already agreed, let's do it now."

Ping Er asked hurriedly, "Do you want to return the indenture as well?"

"Be a good person to the end, and return them all. After all, they have done a lot for me, so I don't want to disappoint them."

Ping Er agreed, and then turned around and brought hot water to help Feng Jie wash her feet. It was almost the second watch, and the master and servant were about to go to bed when the night watch maid came to report: "The second master has returned from the back door."

Sister Feng frowned and cursed a few words, but then ignored her and fell asleep with Ping'er.

In the blink of an eye, it was dawn, and all the necessary things had been packed. Jia's mother left Yuanyang to look after the house, and she and Mrs. Xing took six maids and ten old women with them, as well as a number of servants, and rode in a sedan chair. Jia Lian, who was a little depressed, forced himself to ride on horseback, with many servants guarding him. There were also several large carts for the old women and maids to sit in, and some bags of clothes to change.

At the beginning of the morning hour, they left the Rongguo Mansion in a mighty procession, joined the carriages of the neighboring Bo Mansion, and headed out of the city.

The funeral procession was huge, with no less than a thousand people, including princes, nobles, and ministers of honor, as well as all the imperial edicts. There were also 3,000 guards from the capital camp accompanying the funeral procession. The chief minister of the time was the minister in charge of funeral affairs, and the assistant was the loyal and brave king. These two also accompanied the funeral procession.

The tomb was located in the northeast of the capital, very close to Zunhua, only a little over 200 miles away. However, due to the long queue, they could only travel 50 to 60 miles a day.

On the first day, they set out early in the morning and had to set up camp before 3 p.m. The Bo Mansion sent Ding Rusong to wait here early in the morning. Since this place was not far from the capital, they could stay overnight in various temples. However, the preparations made by Ding Rusong and others could not be used for the time being.

Li Weijian was leaning against the carriage, swaying. The journey was bumpy. Fortunately, Li Weijian used his position to build himself a four-wheeled carriage with shock absorbers, otherwise the carriage would have been shaken to pieces.

When the carriage stopped, Li Weijian stretched his muscles and jumped out of the carriage. He could not help but complain to Ding Rusong who came to greet him: "If I had known this would happen, I would have ridden a horse."

Ding Rufeng, who was accompanying him, had a serious look on his face and grinned, "Master, you might as well take a look at me. I'm sweating in the sun, and the road is full of dust. I'm afraid I can be rubbed into a mud ball now."

Li Weijian took a look and saw that all the guards were like this, so he immediately smiled and said, "Forget it, I'd better take a car."

After walking two steps forward and about to move to Guangren Temple, they saw Jia Lian leading Lady Jia, Madam Xing and others to the Guanyin Temple nearby.

Li Weijian thought to himself that Grandmother Jia might have been in a lot of trouble this time. The old lady treated Li Weijian well, and for Daiyu's sake, she would definitely go and ask about it later.

He immediately entered Guangren Temple, settled down in the meditation room at the back, had a quick vegetarian meal, and then hurried to Guanyin Temple. When he arrived at the gate, he was stopped by the gatekeepers of each house. It was because there were women of noble families inside, so Li Weijian could not go in to visit.

Li Weijian had no choice but to ask Long'er to call Jia Lian over and make sure that Grandmother Jia was fine before returning to Guangren Temple.

After taking a short rest in the Zen room, guests arrived. First, a servant from the Zhongjing Marquis's residence brought some snacks, saying that the wife of the Zhongjing Marquis was worried that Li Weijian would not be used to the food, so she specially sent some snacks made by Xiangyun for Li Weijian to taste.

Li Weijian rewarded the servant and looked at the snacks in the basket with a strange expression... Xiangyun can also make snacks? What a joke, that girl can complain for a long time when doing needlework, how can she have the mind to make snacks for herself?
Then the Prince of Jin sent a eunuch to bring some rose water to cool off the heat, and the Crown Prince also sent someone to bring some Suhexiang pills.

Li Weijian accepted the offer with a smile. He thought to himself that at least he was not invited to have dinner with them. It seemed that what he had done before had worked. The Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin knew that he would not take sides now.

Before he finished, King Zhongyong sent someone to invite Li Weijian. Let alone friendship, how could Li Weijian dare to neglect the invitation from his boss? He quickly changed into a clean casual clothes and hurried to the front farm.

When they arrived at the manor, they realized that this was the property of King Beijing. Li Weijian followed the eunuch into the manor and saw a young eunuch serving tea to King Zhongyong from a distance.

Li Weijian entered and bowed, then stood up and took a look, and was immediately shocked. This was not a little eunuch at all, but Princess Yongshou Li Mengqing in men's clothing.

King Zhongyong coughed, and Li Weijian quickly came back to his senses. Then he saw the prince looking at him with a bad face.

Li Weijian was worried, but he couldn't remember when he had offended King Zhongyong.

After a moment, Li Mengqing glared at the King of Loyalty and Bravery, who then said, "I heard that the Crown Prince and the King of Jin... just sent someone to deliver something to you?"

Li Weijian cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and the King of Jin want to be close to me... What can I do?"

King Zhongyong thought about it and agreed, but he still taught him a lesson: "Although Fusheng is young, he has always been a prudent person. This fight for the throne seems like yesterday, so you must be cautious in your actions."

Li Weijian agreed, but he didn't agree in his heart. The King of Loyalty and Bravery had been in high office for a long time, and he probably didn't know that the Crown Prince and the King of Jin were coming at him together. How many of the ministers could withstand it?

Seeing Li Weijian's lazy appearance, the King of Loyalty and Bravery was immediately furious. However, Li Mengqing was about to reach the age of marriage, and the concubine's daily nagging became more and more serious, which made the King of Loyalty and Bravery very annoyed.

Although the King of Loyalty and Bravery was reluctant to part with his wife during the twelfth lunar month, he also began to think about choosing a son-in-law. He immediately went around to look for the sons of officials and nobles, and to search for talented people among the people.

It would have been better if the investigation had not taken place. After the investigation, the King Zhongyong himself became very depressed. The talented people were obsessed with fame and fortune and would never want to be associated with the royal family, so it is better not to mention it; the sons of the nobles rode horses, flew eagles, walked birds and played with dogs, but none of them were capable.

The loyal and brave King Bendao was looking for a similar noble son, who did not have to be like Li Weijian, but only had to have three times as much talent as Li Weijian and a slightly weaker temper, so that he could marry his daughter off.

Who would have thought that after searching among the sons of nobles in the capital, not to mention being three points better than Li Weijian, I'm afraid they can't even compare to Li Weijian's little finger!
During the New Year, King Zhongyong was feeling depressed and drank too much, so he complained to the Second Concubine. Then the Second Concubine took the opportunity to blame King Zhongyong every now and then. If King Zhongyong had not been hesitant, how could such a good son-in-law like Li Weijian fly away?

Because every time he saw Li Weijian these days, King Zhongyong felt unhappy and felt that this boy was particularly annoying.

After giving Li Weijian a lecture, he did not give him any instructions and then sent him away, leaving Li Weijian in surprise.

Li Weijian was completely confused, thinking that he would return to his meditation room without mentioning it. The father and daughter stared at each other for a long while before the loyal and brave king said, "Is it to your liking?"

Li Mengqing, who was dressed in men's clothes, came over and said coquettishly, "Father, I owed my second brother a favor before, and I have to repay him when he comes to me. I introduced Master Li that day, and although I repaid my second brother a favor, I also owed Master Li a favor. This time, father often calls Master Li to his side. The prince and my second brother know that Master Li is protected by father, so I guess they dare not act recklessly."

King Zhongyong said unhappily, "Him? Does he need my protection? Oh, don't forget that Li Fusheng is Yan Xiyao's last disciple. Yan Xiyao is an old fox, how could he accept a fool as his disciple? Even if I don't protect him, this kid has plenty of ways to get away."

Li Mengqing smiled and said, "It's his business if he has his own way. Anyway, my daughter can't owe a favor to someone without repaying it, otherwise I will feel guilty when I see Yu'er in the future."

King Zhongyong was amused: "You have done nothing wrong, what can I say?"

Li Mengqing immediately smiled and rubbed the shoulders of the King of Loyalty and Bravery, saying, "I will be more filial to my father in the future."

King Zhongyong snorted and did not comment.

After a while, Li Mengqing said again: "Father, after we have placed the mausoleum in Xiaoci County, I am afraid I will have to return first."

The national mourning cannot be delayed, and the coming-of-age ceremony cannot be missed.

King Zhongyong said, "That's fine. I'll send a team from the Beijing camp to escort you back."

Li Mengqing immediately smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you, father."

............................................................

On the fifth day, the funeral procession finally arrived at the mountain mausoleum. The mausoleum was built on the mountain, surrounded by imperial farms, and guarded by eunuchs and soldiers.

On the sixth day, the old empress dowager's coffin was carried into the imperial mausoleum, and Chen Hongmou presented a sacrificial text to the mountain god of the imperial mausoleum.

On the seventh day, the coffin was brought into the underground palace, and the incense books and incense treasures were placed on the stone tables on both sides, and everyone left the mausoleum. Because the Supreme Lord was still alive at this time, the mausoleum did not need to be closed for the time being.

Afterwards, the entourage announced the ceremony in front of the altar. Only then was the ceremony of sending off the spirit considered complete.

According to established practice, the funeral procession was supposed to rest in Xiaoci County for a day before returning to the capital the next day.

Li Weijian was newly married and was really worried about Daiyu. This afternoon, he first visited his cousin, Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding and his wife, and then visited Jia's mother and Mrs. Xing. Shi Ding and his wife were only in their early forties and were still strong enough; but Jia's mother was old after all, and she was exhausted from traveling for several days. Li Weijian hurriedly helped to find the imperial physician for consultation. After the examination, the imperial physician said that she was old and told Jia's mother to rest for a few days before leaving.

Li Weijian discussed with Jia Lian for a while, and the latter decided to rest in Xiaoci County for two days, then go straight to Jinmen, abandon the car and take a boat back. When they arrived in Tongzhou, they would take another car to the capital.

Seeing that Jia Lian had made all the arrangements, Li Weijian came to say goodbye to Lady Jia.

In the room, Jia's mother was lying on the bed. Seeing Li Weijian coming to say goodbye, Jia's mother smiled and said, "Brother Jian must be thinking about Yu'er. Well, you are young and can hold on, so you might as well go back to the capital first. I am fine here, and I will be back in six or seven days."

Li Weijian said a few witty remarks and then left.

It was not yet 3:00 p.m. Li Weijian was tired of riding in a carriage for several days. Seeing that the spring weather was just right, he decided to ride a horse. In addition to the Ding brothers, there were also ten Beishan guards. The thirteen people left Xiaoci County and rode along the official road. After traveling twenty miles, they saw a group of Beijing troops escorting a carriage along the winding mountain road in the distance.

Li Weijian slowed down his horse and looked into the distance wondering, "Which noble is so eager to rush to the capital?"

The Ding brothers were very sharp-eyed and sharp-eared. Ding Rusong stepped forward and said, "My Lord, I heard at noon that Princess Yongshou had returned to the capital first, and the prince had also appointed a detachment of the Beijing garrison to escort her."

"Princess Yongshou?" Li Weijian frowned immediately. He thought to himself that the little princess was the apple of the eye of the loyal and brave king. If he offended her carelessly, the king might blame him. So he reined in his horse and asked, "Let's get out of the way. Is there a small path we can take?"

Ding Rusong said, "There is a fork in the road ahead. Go five miles east and you will definitely disappear once you get on the official road."

"Okay, let's go around east."

At that moment, Li Weijian led a group of people to go around eastward. The Yanshan Mountains were densely covered with mountains, and most of the ditches and ridges were formed by the impact of the Luan River. Li Weijian went around for a while and suddenly came to a ridge. To the west, he saw the winding Luan River. Here, it turned nine times and eighteen times and had branches and twigs everywhere, which looked like a five-clawed golden dragon.

Li Weijian thought to himself, no wonder the tomb of Emperor Dashun was built here, maybe this is the so-called dragon vein?

While he was thinking, there was a cry of an eagle. A Beishan guard with a cowhide protective gear tied on his arm rode up and said in a clumsy Chinese: "Sir, there seem to be quite a few people ahead."

This Saker Falcon was well trained and was very good at detecting the enemy's moves. If there were just one or two mountain people, the Saker Falcon would not have circled and cried. Li Weijian did not need to order it, as two guards rode over to investigate.

The rest of the guards around Li Weijian scattered around, taking their bows and muskets to guard against the enemy. After a while, two Beishan guards came back, and one of them said, "There are people mining on the mountain, and there is no other ambush."

It was a false alarm, but everyone was not careless. Fortunately, Li Weijian had mastered the American Iai technique that day, otherwise he would have been dead by now. Because the scouts went first, the guards surrounded Li Weijian and walked carefully along the mountain path.

After turning the mountain ridge, a guard pointed from a distance and said, "Master, please look, there are people mining on the top of the mountain."

"Oh." There are many mineral veins in Yanshan Mountain, and Dashun is now prosperous. This place is not far from the capital. Whether it is coal, iron or lime, it can always be sold at a high price. Li Weijian took out a monocular telescope and took a look. He saw that there were indeed people digging rocks with pickaxes on the top of the mountain, so he put down the telescope and didn't care.

After walking for a while, Li Weijian raised the mirror to look around, and then he took a breath of cold air! He saw two shirtless men burying bags of things behind a huge rock... Explosives?
Who are these people going to deal with? Me? No, this place is densely forested and the slope is gentle. It is hard to say whether the boulder can roll down. Li Weijian quickly moved the telescope and looked down the cliff where the boulder was. He saw a Beijing troop escorting the BMW car slowly through the valley.

"Ding Rusong!"

"exist!"

Li Weijian pulled out a musket from the side of his horse, pointed at the top of the mountain and said, "There are bandits on the mountain who want to kill the princess. Follow me to defeat them!"

After saying this, he rode out at a gallop. Ding Rushong was stunned for a moment, gritted his teeth, drew out his revolver, shouted "Follow the master and kill", and followed him on his horse and rode away.

A group of thirteen riders dispersed, but the neighing of their horses could be heard. The thirteen riders circled in the mountains and forests and gathered towards the top of the slope.

The noise really alarmed the bandits on the mountain. Six or seven shirtless men whispered to each other, left two of them to bury the gunpowder, and the remaining five picked up their weapons and set up their positions on the hillside.

Li Weijian rode his horse for a while, not expecting to hit the bandit who was a hundred steps away. He took aim with his musket and pulled the trigger.

bang——

The sound of gunfire lingered in the valley, and the Beijing troops advancing at the bottom of the valley suddenly became a little agitated. The general stopped his men and looked around. He saw that they were at the bottom of the valley, with high mountains and dense forests on both sides. If someone really dropped rocks from the mountains to attack, they would probably all be killed here.

In a hurry, the chief ordered: "Make way and let the princess go first!"

Inside the carriage, the princess heard faint gunshots and was still puzzled. Then the chief came back and said, "Princess, there may be an ambush here. I have ordered the soldiers to clear the road. Please pass through here as soon as possible!" He then called four more soldiers, two of them climbed onto the shaft of the carriage, and two climbed behind it, urging the coachman to drive the horse faster.

The maid in the car was terrified and turned pale. Li Mengqing also tried to remain calm. He took out a revolver from his sleeve and was about to say a few words to comfort her when suddenly a loud noise was heard!
The maidservant by the window looked over and exclaimed in horror: "The mountain has collapsed!"

"Go, go, go!"

"The princess!"

There was no time to care about the least at this moment. The coachman whipped the two draft horses with all his might. Out of the corner of his eye he vaguely saw the rocks falling towards him, blocking out the sky.

The hundreds of officers and soldiers from the Beijing camp behind him were crying for their parents. The commander rode over first, but when he turned around, he was hit on the head by a fist-sized rock and fell off his horse without a sound.

Afterwards, more than 20 soldiers from the Beijing camp cried and shouted as they watched the huge rock rolling down. A rumbling sound was heard, followed by billowing smoke and dust. The maid in the carriage looked back and said with a pale face, "Princess, behind... behind..."

The four soldiers from the Beijing camp who were clinging to the carriage were furious. One of the sentries said, "We can't stop. No one knows if the bandits have a backup plan! Charge straight ahead and get out of the mountain area!"

The carriage jolted out of the valley and was about to turn. The driver couldn't help but slow down the speed. Suddenly, he heard the sound of bowstrings and green smoke from muskets. In a moment, the three people in front were all hit by arrows and bullets.

A feather arrow shot into the horse's belly, and the horse screamed and ran forward. However, the four-wheeled carriage tilted as it turned.

The two soldiers from the Beijing camp who were hanging behind hurriedly jumped down, and then saw the carriage tilted, crashed into a huge tree on the side of the road with a bang, and fell to the ground.

"Don't let the dog official get away!"

"Kill!"

More than a dozen men with swords and bows rushed out of the forest, and two Beijing soldiers pulled the trigger repeatedly. However, after firing three or two shots, they were knocked down by the flying axes in an instant.

Before he could even get up while screaming, a man with a machete chopped him down.

Blood splattered everywhere, the man wiped the blood off his face, turned around and ran towards the overturned carriage with a knife. Seven or eight men gathered around, straightened the carriage with all their might, and opened the door, only to see two maids with bloody heads inside.

One of them had blood gushing out of his temple, and it was obvious that he was not going to survive; the other one was holding his arms and groaning.

The man reached out and grabbed the maid and said, "Let me ask you, where is the dog official in the car?"

The maid blinked, cried out, and fainted. At this time, a white-faced man came forward to take a look and said, "Master, I'm afraid this is the carriage of the female relatives."

The man threw the maid out of the carriage with one hand and gritted his teeth and said, "If we can ask the Beijing troops to escort her, even the female relatives will be in trouble. Chase her! That woman will not be able to get far!"

Seven or eight men scattered in search, and in a flash they saw a plain figure in the forest. The first one shouted, "There it is! Running up the mountain!"

"Chase!"

A group of people chased up the mountain. Not far away, they suddenly heard the neighing of war horses below. Someone turned back to look and immediately frowned and said, "Master, it seems that the guards are catching up with us."

The leader of the incense master ordered: "Leave a few brothers to hold back the enemy. Once I capture that little bitch, those hawks and dogs will be helpless against us."

Five people stayed behind to stop them, while the remaining three continued to chase.

The shouts and gunshots behind him became sparse, and the incense master did not look back. Seeing Li Mengqing getting closer and closer, he took out the flying axe and threw it.

The flying axe made a loud noise due to the wind. Fortunately, Li Mengqing looked back while running away. He immediately ducked to avoid it. Then he heard the flying axe hitting a jujube tree with a loud noise.

"Ah!" Li Mengqing was so frightened that his hands and feet went limp. He turned around, picked up his revolver and fired indiscriminately.

bang bang bang-

"Ah!" One of them was shot in the calf and immediately turned into a rolling gourd, rolling all the way down the mountain.

"Master, that little girl has a musket! It can fire continuously!"

The incense master and the remaining men hid behind the tree for a while, then they looked out and saw Li Mengqing running up the mountain again, then they rushed out and chased after him.

The girl was weak after all. Fortunately, Li Mengqing was very active, otherwise she would have run out of strength by now. Even so, she was running slower and slower. Turning her head and seeing two thieves approaching, she opened the hammer and fired a shot randomly, stopping the two thieves for a moment, and then continued to move forward.

This went on and on until there was only one bullet left in the magazine and Li Mengqing was out of strength. She panted and leaned against a tree, but because of the dense forest, she couldn't see what was happening below.

Listening carefully, the sound of the muskets had stopped. Li Mengqing panted and thought to himself that the soldiers of the Beijing camp must have defeated the thief. If he could delay for a while, there might be a chance to turn the situation around.

Thinking of this, Li Mengqing took a deep breath, opened the hammer and aimed at the second thief, shouting: "Don't come over! The second thief has already failed. If he doesn't leave now, he will probably die here!"

The incense master stared at him and said coldly: "As long as we capture you, those hawks and dogs will not dare to do anything to us."

Another man said, "Don't try to scare people with that fire stick. The revolver made by Li Caishen can only fire six times in a row. You just fired five shots. Who can you hit with the remaining one?"

Although Li Mengqing forced himself to remain calm, his hands could not help but tremble. After hearing what the two thieves said, he suddenly sighed and said, "You are right. I only have one bullet left. I am afraid I can't hit anyone... But——"

She suddenly pointed the gun at herself: "--Suicide is still enough."

The incense master was stunned: "You——"

Li Mengqing laughed bitterly and said, "If I fall into the hands of thieves, my reputation will be ruined. Even if I return to the capital, I will be too ashamed to see anyone. In this case, it is better to commit suicide."

Li Mengqing raised his eyes and saw some figures moving in the distance. He estimated that it would take another quarter of an hour for them to arrive. He could only bet that the two thieves would not dare to act rashly.

The two thieves were indeed hesitant, and the subordinates said to the incense master: "Master, what should we do?"

The incense master turned his head to look at her, gritted his teeth and said angrily: "You little bitch, you are just trying to scare me. I don't believe you dare to kill yourself. Go!"

The two men stepped forward and surrounded him. Li Mengqing sighed, knowing that he could not escape, and slowly closed his eyes.

The two thieves slowly approached. Li Mengqing suddenly opened his eyes, turned his revolver towards the incense master and pulled the trigger.

Bang!
The incense master screamed and felt a burning pain in his lower abdomen.

"what!"

Li Mengqing used all his strength to smash the revolver at another thief, reached into his boots and pulled out a dagger, aiming at his heart and ready to stab it. He couldn't help but think to himself, it's a pity that he was too impatient just now, otherwise he would have killed the leading thief.

The dagger fell halfway, and the uninjured thief stepped forward and kicked Li Mengqing on the wrist, and the dagger immediately flew away.

Li Mengqing hurriedly climbed up to get the dagger, but the thief stepped on her chest, and then a goose feather knife was pressed against her neck: "Little girl, you can't die now!"

(End of this chapter)