Chapter 1 What Happened?

"Brother Ye, what exactly is going on?" Sun Jin asked anxiously. "Isn't that man a fugitive from Yizhou? Why won't you hand him over?"

Aside from his status as a驸马 (imperial son-in-law), Sun Jin was indeed somewhat insignificant in the eyes of others, so much so that no one kept him informed of the situation at all times.

"Brother Sun, please come with me for a moment." Ye Tao stood up and led Sun Jin towards the study.

Chang Zeng, the steward of the Juxian Prince's Mansion who had come with Sun Jin, wanted to follow, but was stopped by a guard. Chang Zeng said with some dissatisfaction, "Can Lord Ye let me know what's going on? I've been managing affairs in the Prince's Mansion for many years, and I still have some influence in various quarters. When the驸马 has matters that are inconvenient for him to handle personally, I usually take care of them."

Chang Zeng's subtext was that his words were more useful than Sun Jin's here. Unexpectedly, Ye Tao didn't even look at him, and the guard in front of him frowned and immediately put his hand on the hilt of his saber.

Chang Zeng couldn't explode. No matter how much real power he had as the steward of the Prince's Mansion, he was, after all, just a servant.

Ye Tao and Sun Jin returned to the main hall before long. Ye Tao's expression was as usual, but Sun Jin's expression was mixed with shock, disbelief, and a hint of determination. After Ye Tao and Sun Jin returned, Huo Dong also arrived. Huo Dong also brought his deputy, Zhao Yan, who was the leader of those Prince's Mansion guards. Wang An, his face full of anxiety, and Wang Shi, who had already sensed that something was wrong, were also in the main hall at this moment, watching to see what Ye Tao was going to say.

Ye Tao's voice wasn't loud. He said, "I won't hand over the person, and I won't hand over the things either. The premise for discussing countermeasures is this."

Huo Dong hesitated for a moment and said, "Lord Ye, since General Fu Chong said that the man is a fugitive, and also said that if the person is handed over, they will be responsible for driving away those Jianghu (martial world) gangs, even if there are still doubts about the matter, it won't look good on the surface. Sir, shouldn't you also hold back for the time being? This… if a fight breaks out, we have too few people here, and I'm afraid we won't be able to handle it."

Sun Jin shook his head and said, "General Huo, Commander Zhao, this person is definitely not a fugitive. On this matter, I agree with Lord Ye's opinion. We can't hand over the person, and we can't hand over the things either. In fact, I hope General Huo won't ask any more questions about what happened. This matter is not something that you or I can interfere with too much."

Huo Dong frowned, but didn't say anything. As an imperial guard officer, he was always extremely sensitive to matters of power struggles, and he immediately realized that the person and the things were probably involved in some extraordinary matter. Zhao Yan, on the other hand, looked at Chang Zeng.

Chang Zeng jumped up, cupped his hands, and said, "Lord Ye, even if it involves something, it's nothing more than Chunnan's internal affairs. Even if you have a high position of authority, Lord Ye, you can't interfere in these matters. Please think twice."

Ye Tao was too lazy to explain. He raised the index finger of his right hand, which was resting on the armrest of the chair, and made a small circle in the air. A guard hit Chang Zeng on the back of the head with a knife-hand strike, knocking him unconscious. Then he dragged him out without any hesitation.

"Brother Sun, your servant… is really…" Ye Tao said, smiling as he turned to Sun Jin, teasing him.

"Well… this驸马 (imperial son-in-law) of mine can't control them. I apologize for making you laugh, Brother Ye." Sun Jin didn't even show any dissatisfaction. In fact, he had disliked Chang Zeng for a long time.

Sun Jin turned to Zhao Yan and said, "Commander Zhao, you know my character. Usually, I don't dare to say or do anything in front of the old family members of the Prince's Mansion. Even now, I still don't have the confidence that you will definitely obey my orders, or that you are willing to obey. However, as colleagues who are close to the Prince, I sincerely say that this matter is indeed not something we can control. Lord Ye will naturally discuss this matter with the Prince afterward, but at this moment, handling the matter well is the right thing to do."

Zhao Yan really knew this 驸马 (imperial son-in-law) very well. Although he was a respected驸马 (imperial son-in-law) and one of the Prince's most important advisors, Sun Jin was still humble and natural. He would just smile at the unpleasant gazes and comments from some of the old family members of the Prince's Mansion. Zhao Yan didn't think that was weakness. He himself was an old soldier who had survived hundreds of battles, and he himself had become magnanimous after experiencing life-and-death situations, not dwelling on anything, only occasionally revealing his stern side on the training field, in difficult and challenging situations.

Zhao Yan cupped his hands and said, "The Prince's instructions are to protect Lord Ye well, and if possible, to learn something from Lord Ye's guards. There's no better opportunity to learn than fighting side by side. The situation with the external enemies is serious, so please command my unit as well, Lord Ye."

With Zhao Yan's statement, Huo Dong's position became even more awkward. He said, "Lord Ye, this concerns the safety of the adults, and I dare not shirk my responsibility. I won't care about other things. If there is a conflict, I will naturally follow your orders, Lord Ye. However, after this matter, I will report all the events that occur to the Imperial Guard Commissioner truthfully after returning to Yuhang."

Ye Tao nodded and said, "That's natural. That's your duty, as it should be."

Huo Dong then asked, "But, if a conflict breaks out, how should the residents of the entire Wanke Manor handle themselves? There are thousands of people in the manor and the villages at the foot of the mountain, most of whom are the elderly, women, and children. I don't know what to do about this."

Ye Tao didn't speak, but smiled and looked outside the main hall, at the sky that could be seen from the main hall. The sky in this era, without any light pollution, should have been a dark blue. But now, it seemed to be stained with a touch of orange-red, which was the color of firelight.

A long whistle broke through the sky, stopping the clouds and showing an overwhelming and unstoppable force. "Danyang Liu Yong is here. Stop playing the trick of fugitives. The person is in Fuxin Courtyard, and the things are in Fuxin Courtyard. Those who have the ability can come. If anyone destroys even a hair of Wanke Manor, if anyone kills even one woman, child, or elderly person, I will retaliate ten or a hundred times over. You know who you really are, and I know it too..."

"Are you satisfied now?" Ye Tao asked in the main hall.

Huo Dong was silent. After cupping his hands, he raised his head and said, "Sir, I will summon the men to prepare to defend against the enemy." Then he turned and left the main hall. Zhao Yan cupped his hands in salute and quickly followed.

Wang An looked at Ye Tao with a complex expression, then looked at Wang Shi. His feelings were quite complicated. Through Ye Tao's remarks and arrangements, he had understood why, in the past two days, many of Ye Tao's guards didn't call Ye Tao "Commissioner" or "Lord Ye," but called him "General Ye." Ye Tao wasn't a scholar, nor was he from the military, but the courage and boldness to draw his sword showed on him, making him worthy of the title of "General." Not to mention that Ye Tao did have the experience of leading troops into battle and fighting bloody battles. They could all see that the set of armor and weapons in the corner of the main hall were not decorations for Ye Tao. Wang An felt that being able to stand with such a person should be a very honorable thing. However, bearing the heavy responsibility for the safety of thousands of people in Wanke Manor, he really couldn't be so heroic.

"Lord Ye underestimates my Wang family of Yizhou too much." Wang Shi said with a hearty laugh, "An'er, go and give the order. The women, children, and elderly in the village should immediately go to various hidden caves to hide. The guards of the village will follow you to defend against the enemy. Distribute weapons to the young and strong men in the village, and either have them follow the guards to defend against the enemy, or have them protect those women, children, and elderly people who are hiding. And those enshrined experts, you can arrange them. Go and do it now."

Wang An bowed and replied, "Yes, I will go and do it now."

"Old Master, you don't have to be like this." Ye Tao knew that from the moment Wang Shi said these words, he owed him a favor. But the character of Old Master Wang Shi, and Wang An's eagerness just now, but then forcibly suppressing his expression, made him feel that these people should be able to become friends. He wouldn't promise any rewards at this moment. Compared to promises, he was always better at taking action. And a promise at this moment, even if it wasn't empty words, would really be looking down on the Wang family too much.

Hahahaha—Wang Shi laughed loudly and said, "Lord Ye, don't take it to heart. From the moment I saw that box, I knew that my Wang family could be said to be completely throwing itself into the rolling tide of the era. Whether we stand at the forefront of the tide or are crushed to the bottom of the water, it all depends on this moment, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it depends on this moment." Ye Tao also laughed.

A flare, propelled by gunpowder gas, flew into the air with a bright blue tail flame, exploding with a loud bang and scattering into朵朵 (duǒduǒ: measure word) of beautiful blue fireworks. This beautiful scene seemed to be echoing the consensus that everyone in the Fuxin Courtyard's main hall had finally reached.

"New model cannon." Ye Tao explained, "I've made everyone laugh."

A guard walked into the main hall, stood at attention, and reported, "Reporting to the General, the order for a counterattack has been issued."

Ye Tao turned to Wang Shi, Wang An, and Sun Jin, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Well, I'm afraid of death, I admit it. I also brought some soldiers with me."

The scene of the bright fireworks exploding was also seen by Fu Chong, who was already approaching the foot of the mountain. As a general, he only paused for a moment before realizing that this was an obvious warning. Although he was curious about how Ye Tao had done it, he probably wouldn't be surprised if some mechanical puppets from legendary novels appeared around Ye Tao, let alone just some pretty things. However, he realized that Ye Tao's warning must have a purpose, and that there must be a force nearby that could turn the tide.

"As soon as you reach the foot of the mountain, join forces with the Jinjie Gang to attack the mountain. No need to put on an act." Fu Chong said to the deputy general beside him.

The Jinjie Gang at the foot of the mountain were also sharpening their knives, preparing to attack immediately. Liu Yong's words just now, coupled with the current warning, made them realize that this battle had arrived in a splendid way.

"So… are we only attacking Fuxin Courtyard?" A guy asked Jinjie Gang's leader, Gui Weilian, cautiously, and Gui Weilian looked cautiously at the person standing behind him, wearing a hooded cloak and concealing his appearance. That person nodded, and Gui Weilian gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, only attack Fuxin Courtyard, the other places… don't touch them."