Chapter 159: Night Raid

The temporary palace in Baiya Prefecture.

Grand Eunuch Zhou lay on that ornate lounge chair, listening to the little tunes played by the beauties beside him, and when he was in a good mood, he would hum along to a few lines.

"Old Ancestor, it is quite lively outside tonight!"

A young eunuch fanned him, accompanying him with a smile.

Grand Eunuch Zhou did not even open his eyes, saying lazily, "The livelier it is, the more intense the murderous intent. All that talk about 'moonless, windy nights for murder' is just nonsense. If there aren't many people, how can blood flow like a river? Hehe."

Another young eunuch laughed, "Exactly, why bother with them? As long as our share of the money arrives, that's all that matters! Old Ancestor, that White-Tooth Army is still sensible, they sent Copper Coin Silver Notes directly! If this White-Tooth Army were to really vanish this time, we would truly lose a source of income!"

Grand Eunuch Zhou gave a light hum, "You dare to say such things in front of me?"

The young eunuch was scared deathly pale and hurriedly knelt to beg for mercy.

Only then did Grand Eunuch Zhou slowly open his eyes, looking at the fireworks and lights all over the city, and smiled faintly, "Little one, you must understand, since the Emperor was able to seize this empire forty years ago, then before he passes away, it cannot be lost, understand?"

Several young eunuchs trembled, kneeling on the ground without a word.

Grand Eunuch Zhou sighed, "The Emperor allows the Baiya Army to exist, so it can exist..."

"If the Emperor no longer allows it, it must perish; no one's word matters."

"The Baiya army is surrounding the city; do you really think they are just putting on a show?"

"Without these armies, Baiya would not want to be destroyed!"

"If they don't want to be destroyed, the army will attack the city!"

Grand Eunuch Zhou chuckled, "The Emperor has been a hero his whole life; to clean up a mess for his own son, what does it matter if he destroys one Baiya City?"

"What does it matter if a million lives are plunged into misery?"

"The Prince of Wei came to Baiya, is he really there to back up their Baiya Army? Hahahaha, this old fox, when has he ever been so kind!"

"He wants to come and see where this horse farm will ultimately end up, and whether it will affect his operations!"

"Remember, just watch the show with peace of mind!"

"Yes!"

The young eunuchs were trembling all over; they knew that if these things were spoken of outside, they would lose their heads for nothing.

This speech from Grand Eunuch Zhou made the girls singing the tunes turn pale, and they simply dared not continue playing.

Grand Eunuch Zhou glanced at them, his eyes cold.

The two girls were so scared they cried.

"You sing well, take them back to Jinghua!" Grand Eunuch Zhou said with a feminine tone.

He thought to himself that he was getting old, so he should accumulate some hidden virtue... If it were in the past, for such things to be overheard, killing to silence, or gouging out eyes and ears, were all very common occurrences.

"Yes, Old Ancestor! Why aren't you thanking him yet? You are about to bring glory to your family!"

Yang Ke had long ago given the map of the Baiya Palace to Liu Zheng, and then Liu Zheng passed it on to Jiang Xuan.

Over these past few days, Jiang Xuan had already memorized every road and every turn of this Baiya Palace, and even the entire Baiya Prefecture, until he knew it by heart.

Yang Ke had sent Liu Zheng two subordinates who seemed relatively clever; one was called Guan Mang, the 'Tiger Descending the Mountain', a man with remarkable skills who looked like a seasoned outlaw hero. The other was Jiang Rui, the 'Cat Leopard', who, just like his nickname, was short in stature but extremely adept at climbing roofs, peeling tiles, and engaging in petty theft.

"Young Master, Wei Shao's residence is still two miles away from the banquet hall. We pass through this Jingzhedian, then past Wangfenglu, and then past this Tingyuge. Tingyuge is on a lake, so now is the best time to act!"

Liu Zheng took a look.

The entire Baiya Palace appeared very calm in the night. It was even completely out of place compared to the entire Baiya City, which was currently immersed in revelry.

Liu Zheng smiled slightly and said, "Guess how many factions are hiding in this Baiya Palace right now?"

The reason this year's War Horse Fair attracted those Feudatory Kings to come in person more than in previous years was because of that rumored Account Book!

But these Feudatory Kings were not stupid.

Being held under your thumb once was enough. How could they let you keep holding this Account Book?

Jiang Xuan laughed, "I don't know how many factions there are, but we will definitely get today's Account Book!"

Liu Zheng smiled slightly, noncommittal.

Jiang Rui chuckled on the side, "Young Master Liu, the Second Leader said that this time we are only here for the Account Book and must not harm the innocent. Sigh, if it weren't for the Great Leader insisting on taking the Account Book to trade for our damn future, our Baiya Army has always been harmonious and united, how could it come to this?"

Liu Zheng nodded.

Several of them were currently hiding on a roof, lying flat, observing the situation ahead.

"They're here!"

Jiang Xuan said suddenly.

They strained their eyes to look, and sure enough, an ornate horse carriage was slowly driving over from that side in the night. One carriage, dozens of people carrying lanterns to clear the way, shouting as they walked—this spectacle made even Liu Zheng sigh with emotion.

This was about the same as the Emperor traveling in the Imperial Palace.

It would be a wonder if such a decadent group were loved by the people!

"Don't wait, act directly at Jingzhedian!"

Liu Zheng said.

The carriage was heading toward the banquet hall here, and because Liu Zheng and his group were between the two places, they could see that the banquet hall was already packed and bustling, just waiting for the arrival of the host, Wei Shao.

Jiang Xuan received Liu Zheng's order and placed his fingers to his mouth, blowing a whistle. The whistling sound was like a night owl, low yet powerful, piercing directly through the entire Baiya Palace.

Qin Zhangfeng, who was lying in ambush in the woods not far from Jingzhedian below, received the order. Behind him followed a group of young men dressed in night-traveling clothes, all members of the Dark Night Squad.

Seeing Qin Zhangfeng's hand signal, they leaped up one after another from their hiding places. They were all equipped with gear meticulously developed by Liu Zheng, and even running with such force, they made no sound at all in the night. Soon, dozens of Dark Night Squad brothers had dispersed, taking advantage of the night to sneak to the side of Jingzhedian.

On the carriage.

It was exactly Wei Shao's family of three.

Wei Rong sat next to his mother, beaming with joy. This scoundrel was already thinking about whether his lackeys had called Xiao Lianxiang from Fengming Tower tonight; if she had come, he could have some fun again.

Lady Wang glared at her son, "Behave yourself, don't let others make a joke of you!"

Wei Rong had a cynical look on his face and chuckled, "Mother, this is our own home, who is there to fear?"

Lady Wang stole a glance at Wei Shao, but he was resting with his eyes closed, saying nothing, so she dotingly glared at her son once more before breaking into a smile.

Just at this moment.

Suddenly, the Horse Carriage jolted violently, and the screams of the Baiya Army soldiers responsible for clearing the path rang out one after another.

"Enemy attack, enemy attack!"

Several shrill cries instantly pierced the night sky.

Liu Zheng's eyelids twitched: "Are they our men?"

Jiang Xuan whispered: "No!"

Liu Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly.

The show was about to begin!