"They're going to burn us alive," she quickly looked at Shangguan Ke, informing him of her discovery.
In her shock, her voice was slightly too loud. The other party reacted swiftly, immediately igniting the oil. The oil instantly caught fire, and the two of them rushed out.
As soon as they burst out of the fire, Shangguan Ke sensed something was wrong. He grabbed Wu Caiwei, who was still rushing forward, and with a turn, they went back.
Wu Caiwei hadn't expected them to have laid a trap outside. The moment Shangguan Ke pulled her back, she saw two rows of archers aiming at them as soon as they appeared, ready to shoot them full of holes.
In a flash, the two leaped onto the rooftop. Although the fire below was raging, and the house would soon collapse, it was still holding for now. As they leaped from the rooftop to the courtyard outside, they couldn't help but shout, "Fire! Fire! Everyone, come and help put it out!"
They used their internal energy to transmit their voices, which carried very far, waking up those who were immersed in their dreams. While saving as many lives as possible, their actions also alerted the assassins to their intentions.
The couple led them to an open area, fearing their actions might harm innocent civilians.
The number of people who came this time was unusually large. In this city, only the逍遥王 (Xiao Yao Wang), who was currently lying in bed, could afford to go to such lengths to kill the couple.
They hadn't paid him much attention recently, thinking that he would have calmed down by now, given his condition. To their surprise, he had brewed up a big scheme. However, they were not afraid. The perverted 逍遥王 (Xiao Yao Wang) had tortured the original owner to death. When he was poisoned, Shangguan Ke had given him the antidote primarily to torment him for a longer period. The original owner had died so painfully; it would have been too easy for him to be sent to the underworld right away.
The strategy they employed this time was clearly to use archers as the vanguard. How could the couple let them have their way? They tried their best to stay out of their range, knowing that the enemy would relentlessly pursue them, so they wouldn't have to worry about them not following.
The leader saw that the couple had discovered his intentions and decided to end the fight quickly, not wanting any further complications.
These men had been instructed before leaving that the couple possessed extremely high martial arts skills and to proceed with extreme caution. However, as soon as they engaged, they realized that no amount of caution would help; this was a crushing defeat by sheer strength.
Soon, the ground around their feet was littered with corpses. The leader felt heartbroken for his brothers, knowing that if this continued, none of them would return alive. But they were secret guards; their lives belonged to their master, and they would die for him. This was their fate, and they resolutely drew their swords and attacked.
The couple quickly dealt with these men. Fearing that the fire at home would harm innocent people, they hurried back. Due to the dry weather, even with everyone's best efforts to extinguish the fire, it still affected the surrounding neighbors. Some people couldn't help but weep bitterly as they saw the efforts of their entire lives go up in smoke.
Fortunately, their shout had come in time, and there were no casualties for now. The couple exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't care about the financial losses.
As soon as dawn broke, Shangguan Ke rushed to the ruins of their home. Yes, their original courtyard had long since burned down. He stood by a well in his and Wu Caiwei's courtyard, pushed aside the stone covering it, and jumped down. Before long, he retrieved a chest of gold and jewels.
Both of them were prudent. Although most of their gold and silver was stored in the treasury, a portion was still kept aside, which now proved useful.
They offered the surrounding neighbors double the price, which was enough for them to buy or rebuild two courtyards, sending them away with cheerful hearts.
Seeing the worried and self-reproaching servants standing behind them, knowing they felt responsible for not putting out the fire and protecting their home, Shangguan Ke smiled and shook his head.
"Our family is growing, and this place is too small. Let's go; I'll take you to our newly acquired courtyard." With that, Shangguan Ke led the way. The crowd exchanged glances, and seeing that their masters were not going to punish them, they couldn't help but show expressions of joy.
When Wu Caiwei first arrived in the capital, she didn't have much spare money and had already felt that this courtyard was too small and uncomfortable to live in. Later, when her finances improved, the couple secretly purchased a courtyard with five entrances, which was now proving useful.
With many hands, things moved quickly. Wu Caiwei's payments were generous, and everything was soon put in order.
After settling everyone, they remembered the culprit – the 逍遥王 (Xiao Yao Wang). It seemed he had been living too comfortably lately, having the time to deal with them.
That night, the couple prepared pills, changed into night clothes, and sneaked into his princely mansion. To avoid alarming them, Wu Caiwei secretly threw in a stick of aphrodisiac.
When they felt it was time, they entered the mansion and went to the 逍遥王's (Xiao Yao Wang's) bedside. They pried open his mouth, gave him two pills, poured a cup of water, and while pouring it into his mouth, pressed an acupoint on his neck. Seeing that he had swallowed the pills smoothly, they left satisfied.
They were satisfied, but the Emperor was pacing anxiously in his grand hall after the morning court. This was because someone from the 逍遥王's (Xiao Yao Wang's) mansion had reported that the 逍遥王 (Xiao Yao Wang) seemed unwell, alternately complaining of feeling cold and hot.
The Emperor immediately dispatched the renowned imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy and was waiting for their report. He would never forget how his mother, on her deathbed, had held his hand tightly and implored him to take good care of his younger brother. Although his brother's conduct had been somewhat outrageous in previous years, he had suffered a great deal recently, and it was heartbreaking to see.
The imperial physicians saw the prince's pained and uncomfortable state and didn't know how to proceed. The main issue was that they had all taken his pulse and found no problems, yet he lay in bed, alternately complaining of the cold and shivering uncontrollably. The maids quickly covered him with thick quilts, and his expression eased slightly. A moment later, he would complain of the heat, and the servants would frantically remove the quilts. Yet, he would still sweat profusely.
The imperial physicians couldn't help but wipe the sweat from their brows. In their many years of practice, this was the first time they had encountered such a situation; it was not even recorded in history books. Although they were reluctant to admit their limited medical skills, faced with this situation, they had to report the truth to the Emperor.
The Emperor thought of the other antidote pill that Shangguan Ke had given him. He wondered if it would work. He had intended to keep that pill as a treasure for himself, but if it could save his brother's life, it would be worth it. He worried that if his brother wasn't poisoned and the medicine had no effect, it would be a waste. His heart was torn.
While ordering people to post imperial decrees to recruit talented individuals, he summoned Shangguan Ke.