[Wuxia] The Number One Ding Under Heaven (Complete) - 7

Chapter 50 The Prefect of Kaifeng

"My lord, what are we going to Kaifeng Prefecture for? It's so early in the morning..."
"What for? To file a complaint!"
"Fill out a complaint!?" Chuixue's eyes widened, almost biting her tongue.
Pang Yu was too lazy to kick this kind of brain-dead idiot with almost no comprehension—dirty feet! His face darkened, and he spat out three words through gritted teeth.
"Yes, to file a complaint."
"Fill out a complaint against whom?"
Pang Yu tossed his head, still saying three words.
"I don't know."
"Huh!?" "
The Grand Tutor's mansion was set on fire last night, burning down seven rooms and a maid went missing. Do you know who did it?"
Chuixue shook her head frantically.
"That's right, let's go. Go to Kaifeng Prefecture to register and file a case, and ask them to send someone to investigate."
Register!?
File a case!?
Chuixue scratched her head, unable to understand for a long time.
Damn it, don't you know how to think in reverse? No one in the world is stupid enough to confess without being asked. I'm doing the opposite, letting the whole capital know that the Grand Tutor's Mansion has lost face. Even if Zhan Zhao is clever, would he suspect us this time?
×××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××
Fourth Brother's days outside the manor are always sunny and bright.
Led by the lecherous servant Chuixue, Pang Yu strode confidently towards the legendary "nemesis of spoiled brats and spendthrift sons"—Kaifeng Prefecture. The bright sunlight poured down, shining on his brand-new blue robe and cap, making them gleam. Where he swaggered past, even the dust on the road seemed less than before.
As he walked, suddenly a commotion arose ahead.
Passersby quickly parted to make way, scattering like a tide. Pang Yu focused his gaze and saw a large group of government officials approaching from afar, holding wooden signs that read "Silence" and "Avoidance." Behind them was a large sedan chair with green saddlecloths and red mud sashes. The procession, with its gongs and drums, and its imposing entourage, was, in Pang Yu's eyes, quite, quite, quite spectacular.
While commoners would naturally give way to an official's sedan chair, who was Pang Yu? He was the brother-in-law of the Song Emperor, the son of the powerful Grand Tutor Pang, and held the prestigious title of Marquis… well, those in the sedan chair had to obediently give way to him; for him to dodge would be for the Emperor's brother-in-law to sneak out of the palace.
Without a second's hesitation, Pang Yu strode forward to meet them—even dressed as a servant, he was still a personal servant of the Marquis of Anle, fearless in the capital, so what was there to be afraid of!
Pang Yu approached, and what he saw startled him… He jumped
back in surprise. The procession was indeed extraordinary.
The procession was led by a small red pavilion, followed by red umbrellas (for rain protection), green fans (for sun protection), and four yamen runners clearing the way with gongs. Behind them were prominent signs for silence and avoidance, along with colorful embroidered and painted banners. Behind these banners, a young man on a tall horse led the way, followed closely by four bailiffs in red and four in black hats, shouting orders incessantly. Further back came the official's sedan chair, carried by four men, each supporting one of the other (an eight-bearer sedan chair), topped with a large black fan inscribed with a title and a three-tiered yellow umbrella—far more magnificent than any imperial procession seen on television.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Silence! Silence! Everyone, make way!" Just looking at the procession, Pang Yu was already stunned. When the gongs struck eleven times before stopping…
a wicked smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
According to the established customs of the Song Dynasty, when officials of prefectures and counties traveled, they would strike a gong three or seven times, known as the "three-bang gong" or "seven-bang gong," meaning "Make way" or "Soldiers and civilians, please make way." When officials of circuits and prefectures traveled, they would strike a gong nine times, meaning "Officials, soldiers, and civilians, please make way." High-ranking officials who controlled a circuit (in the Northern Song Dynasty, the country was divided into fifteen circuits: Jingdong, Jingxi, Hebei, Hedong, Shaanxi, Huainan, Jiangnan, Jinghu South, Jinghu North, Liangzhe, Fujian, Xichuan, Xia (i.e., Xiaxi), Guangnan East, and Guangnan West, equivalent to today's provinces) would strike a gong eleven times, meaning "Civil and military officials, soldiers, and civilians, please make way." The highest honor, thirteen gongs, signifying "All officials, soldiers, and civilians, please make way," was reserved for his father, Grand Tutor Pang.
In other words, an official who dared to strike a gong eleven times on the main road of the capital was definitely of high rank!
As a transmigrated man who grew up bathed in harmonious sunshine and received good lessons, Pang Yu had some knowledge of the ceremonial etiquette of the Song Dynasty. Coupled with his exposure to the Grand Tutor's mansion during his time there, he could recognize the sedan chairs of imperial relatives and hereditary nobles simply by their style and appearance.
Pang Yu was certain that the official before him was neither an imperial relative nor a hereditary noble, so there was only one possibility—the person riding in the sedan chair was a high-ranking official. With hundreds of officials gathered in the capital, aside from his ruthless father, no one dared to casually adopt the posture of "all civil and military officials, soldiers and civilians, make way!" Even the Prime Minister and the Privy Councilor, who could supposedly strike the gong thirteen times, usually only struck it eleven times—the capital was full of dukes and princes; they wouldn't just order people to make way.
Besides them, there was probably only one person who dared to strike the gong in such a manner while simultaneously adopting such a grand posture:
Bao Zheng, the highest-ranking official in the capital and the Prefect of Kaifeng, who oversaw all administrative, judicial, and public affairs in Bianliang!
Just by looking at the various men in yamen runners maintaining order around the sedan chair, Pang Yu was 90% sure he was right. When he saw the official title plaque held high at the front of the procession, bearing the words "Prefect of Kaifeng," he was 100% certain that the person inside was that guy!
Six words almost burst from his mouth.
That damned Bao Zheng? That corrupt official and villain?
No, it was "Upright and just sir," plus an exclamation of "Oh!"
Upright and just sir, please help this humble subject—
Pang Yu impulsively almost rushed forward to stop the sedan chair and cry out for justice.
He was afraid that the matter of his house being on fire and his prefecture being humiliated wouldn't cause much of a stir; he didn't need to consider anything else.
Unfortunately, Pang Yu regretfully didn't manage to rush forward, or rather, he didn't have time to.
Because someone beat him to it.
"Your Honor, I'm innocent! I'm innocent!" Before Pang Yu could react, a young man resembling a scholar suddenly burst forth from the crowd, his arms outstretched. Before the constables could react, he had already crossed the cordon, rushing to the prefect's sedan chair, kneeling on both knees, and holding a petition high above his head.
"Your Honor, please redress my grievances!"
The down-on-his-luck scholar pounded his head against the ground repeatedly, soon drawing blood, causing a great uproar among those around him.
The sedan chair stopped, and the constables on either side grabbed iron rulers and chains, ready to drive him away, when suddenly a deep shout came from inside.
"Wait!"
The curtain was slightly parted, seemingly to observe who the person crying out for justice was.
"My lord," the registrar immediately approached, "it's getting late, and Grand Commandant Gao is waiting. Perhaps we should postpone it until..."
"Outrageous!" A stern voice from inside the sedan chair interrupted him. "As the prefect of the capital, I am in charge of the city's judicial and criminal justice systems. How can I ignore the grievances of the people in the streets?"
"Whoosh—"
The sedan curtain was suddenly flung open.
The Prefect of Kaifeng strode out, standing before the down-on-his-luck scholar, and declared righteously, "Tell me, who are you accusing, and what is your grievance? I will investigate thoroughly and prosecute them according to the law!"
With a broad mouth, a slight beard, a square face, large ears, and stern eyes, his face was gleaming with black ink—what a Bao Zheng!
Wait! How come his hair is all gray, even his beard?!
Is Bao Zheng really that old?!
Staring at the imposing, white-bearded old man in front of him, who was at least sixty, Chuixue's mouth gaped wide, and his eyes nearly popped out.
"This… isn't the Prefect of Kaifeng Bao Zheng?" He grabbed Chuixue by the collar and dragged him in front of him.
"Bao… Bao… Bao Zheng!?" Chuixue looked even more shocked than him.
"Yes, Bao Zheng, that bastard who looks like charcoal, you don't know him?"
"I… I know, he's the head of our Grand Tutor's mansion, our number one mortal enemy, how could I not know?"
"Hmm?"
"Bao Yanluo... he's the Censor-in-Chief, in charge of the Censorate, the Palace Censorate, and the Imperial Censorate, responsible for upholding discipline, correcting criminal cases, and maintaining court decorum..." Despite being a servant of the Grand Tutor's household, Chuixue, though not particularly bright, was quite familiar with officialdom. Her "introduction" was surprisingly detailed and eloquent. "Bao Yanluo has the power to supervise all officials in the court. He's impeached the Grand Tutor quite a few times in court, and everyone in the household hates him to the core. My lord, don't you remember? Last year, during the Qixi Festival, you snatched eighteen girls... no, nineteen! Bao Yanluo actually submitted twenty impeachments to the Emperor, demanding severe punishment and the stripping of your title..."
Chuixue recounted the various grudges between Bao Zheng and the Grand Tutor's household. Pang Yu, having already grasped the gist of it, lost interest in listening and turned his gaze to the sedan chair.
The down-on-his-luck scholar knelt on the ground, crying out his innocence, each cry louder than the last.
"Who are you, and what injustice have you suffered?" the white-bearded Prefect of Kaifeng asked in a deep voice.
"My humble home's land has been forcibly seized by a scoundrel, I..."
"Do you have a petition?"
"Yes! Yes!" The down-on-his-luck scholar quickly nodded, pulling out a crumpled, yellowed piece of paper from his robes and presenting it to him.
"Hmph, I'd like to see who dares to act so boldly under the Emperor's nose..." The white-bearded prefect glanced at the title, but before he could even utter the word "wild," he suddenly froze, as if he'd been slapped across the face, his hand holding the petition trembling uncontrollably.
Pang Yu, puzzled, called over Chuixue and asked, "Hey, hey, hey, what's this guy's name? How old is he? He sounds like he's about to die from dementia, a heart attack, and a stroke."
"Him? Wu Gongzheng, the prefect of Kaifeng. He's sixty this year, and he's still three years away from retirement..."
Wu Gongzheng?
Pang Yu murmured twice, feeling that the name was a bit off.
"My lord..." the clerk standing nearby called softly.
The white-bearded prefect shuddered, his wrinkled old face twitching strangely. Seeing the constables exchanging bewildered glances, he suddenly waved his hand and shouted sternly, "You audacious scoundrel! How dare you speak so recklessly and frame others in this vital capital! You're simply courting death! Where are the constables of Kaifeng Prefecture? Beat him out of the capital with clubs!"

The change in Chapter Fifty-One, "Fourth Brother's Counterattack ,"

was sudden, leaving the onlookers stunned.
Just a moment ago he was acting like a just and impartial magistrate, how could he suddenly…
a bunch of idiots!
Pang Yu curled his lip in disdain.
He'd seen similar things countless times. Which official didn't want to appear fair and incorruptible in public? How many corrupt officials were still shouting about anti-corruption at the National People's Congress before being placed under investigation? Wu Gongzheng was almost certain that the down-on-his-luck scholar who had stopped the sedan chair to plead his case was dealing with an ordinary person, deliberately putting on a show of severely punishing the criminal in front of the people, hoping to gain a reputation for integrity and uprightness. However, upon opening the petition—good heavens—the defendant was someone of immense power and influence, so Wu immediately changed his tune and launched into a tirade against the plaintiff.
"Your Honor, I…I'm innocent, innocent…I'm innocent—" The down-on-his-luck scholar panicked, breaking out in a cold sweat as he knelt down and kowtowed desperately.
"Injustice? You're not innocent!" Wu Gongzheng sneered, slamming his hand heavily on the sedan chair's carrying pole, displaying the authority of the governor of the capital. "Disrupting my inspection tour is already a serious crime, but I, being magnanimous and benevolent, have overlooked it because you are a mere scholar in your early twenties. However, you show no remorse, still roaring in the streets, disturbing the peace of the capital, and blocking the imperial road—your crime is immeasurable! If I were to spare you again, wouldn't that be blatant favoritism and disregard for the laws of the Great Song Dynasty?"
Having failed to plead his innocence and instead being falsely accused, the down-on-his-luck scholar was terrified, crying out, "I have no name, I have no name! I only filed a complaint..."
Upon hearing "complaint," Wu Gongzheng's face turned ashen.
"Expelling you from the city is an act of leniency on my part, unwilling to make things difficult for a scholar. If you remain obstinate and continue to lie here, don't blame me for throwing you into prison and sentencing you severely according to the law!"
Utterly opportunistic!
Just moments before, Prefect Wu had been righteous and awe-inspiring, but now he was fiercely rebuking the down-on-his-luck scholar.
Pang Yu finally realized what was wrong with his name.
—Wu Gongzheng, Wu Gongzheng, doesn't that mean "no justice"? What a load of
rubbish! Someone with that name can be an official, and the Prefect of Kaifeng at that!
Has his brother-in-law, the Emperor, lost his mind?
"Sir, please wait a moment, let me say something." At this moment, the handsome young man who had been leading the way on a tall horse jumped down, rushed over to help the disheveled scholar up, and said with his head held high, "According to the past practice of the yamen, when encountering commoners blocking the street to cry out for justice, we should bring them back to the yamen
for detailed investigation. If the accusation is true, we should immediately dispatch yamen runners..." "Yongshu!" Wu Gongzheng interrupted him, his words not angry but more like instructing his nephew, "You have only just finished studying at the Imperial Academy, and you know nothing about judging cases. Just watch carefully, why are you interrupting!"
"But, Prefect." The handsome young man became anxious, almost shouting, "The laws of this dynasty, Volume 17, Book 9, Chapter 36, contain..."
"I have been an official for over thirty years, do you think I don't know better than you!" Wu Gongzheng interrupted him again with cold words.
"All citizens of my Great Song Dynasty, every single one..." The handsome young man tried to continue, but Wu Gongzheng ignored him, waving his hand to have two constables rush forward, grab the disheveled youth, and drag him out. "
My lord, my lord, I'm innocent!" No matter how much the disheveled youth cried out, Wu Gongzheng remained unmoved, turning his back, stuffing the petition into his sleeve, and lifting the curtain to get into his sedan chair. "
Alas, the world is going to the dogs,"
Pang Yu sighed, shaking his head.
With the Prefect of Kaifeng acting like this, no wonder the entire Bianliang had become the domain of these纨绔 (spoiled young masters).
*Slap!* A crisp sound rang out.
It wasn't that Pang Yu had slapped Wu Gongzheng across the face—it wasn't worth it. "Mind your own business" was always his mantra. Besides, the more cowardly and corrupt Wu Gongzheng was, the more comfortable his life as "the first servant under the Marquis of Anle" was in the capital. He was infinitely better off than Bao Zheng, who was always looking for trouble, whether it was for nothing or not. With such a "good person" as the prefect of Kaifeng, even if he were sent over to be trampled on, he wouldn't bother lifting a foot.
—Being trampled on by Fourth Brother was, in a way, an honor!
Wu Gongzheng's hand was grabbed by the handsome young man.
"Sir, the scholar has done nothing wrong by stopping the sedan chair to plead his case. Why should he be imprisoned?"
"I have my own reasons for judging cases. Why should a mere child who hasn't even entered officialdom interfere?" Wu Gongzheng shook him off, his wrinkled old face showing displeasure.
The handsome young man seemed not to notice and continued to hold him.
"Your Excellency, there are too many doubts in this case, and it needs further consideration. What do you think..."
"Enough!" Wu Gongzheng's patience finally reached its limit. He turned and shouted at the handsome young man, "Let me tell you, the place he's going to sue in his complaint is not just Kaifeng... Hey, I told you not to get involved, so don't get involved!" In his excitement, he almost let slip the truth.
Logically speaking, even a fool would understand Wu Gongzheng's meaning at this point—it wasn't that he wouldn't investigate, but that the Kaifeng Prefect was someone he couldn't afford to offend. However, the handsome young man was stubborn and wouldn't give up until he got to the bottom of things. He straightened his back and loudly proclaimed, "When I was studying at the Imperial Academy, my teacher repeatedly taught me that 'an official should be wholeheartedly devoted to serving the people, uphold integrity, nip problems in the bud, promote what is beneficial and eliminate what is harmful, in order to achieve good governance for the world…'"
Wu Gongzheng's head was practically steaming, and his mouth twitched like someone with severe Parkinson's disease. "
Idiot! "
Pang Yu wisely gave the handsome young man two words of evaluation.
If you don't like Wu Gongzheng and think he's truly "unjust," go back to the yamen and say so. Shouting in the street, how can he save face? Now, not arresting him is considered a breach of law and favoritism, arresting him is considered fickle, and the whole city knows that a few words from a random young man can influence the decisions of the dignified Kaifeng Prefect!
The handsome young man, completely oblivious, stood there with a righteous expression, reciting incessantly like a storyteller: "The ancients said: 'If one's conduct is upright, one's orders will be obeyed without being given; if one's conduct is not upright, one's orders will not be obeyed even if given.' 'Integrity' is the soul of an official, the foundation of governance, and the way to wield power. My mentor has repeatedly said that officials must adhere to the 'Five Cautions': first, 'caution at the beginning'; second, 'caution in choosing friends'; third, 'caution in choosing hobbies'; fourth, 'caution in solitude'; and fifth, 'caution at the end.' Caution at the beginning..."
Listening to his incessant rambling, Pang Yu was almost dizzy.
This guy is quite handsome, but what a blockhead! From ancient times to the present, which officialdom isn't corrupt? The Song Dynasty's governance was better than the Ming Dynasty's, but in 319 years, only one Bao Zheng emerged. As for the others—humph, even his blockhead mentor, the one who taught him the "Five Cautions," would probably reconsider his tendency to file lawsuits against this person so readily.
Bianliang, the imperial capital, was a place where even a brick thrown into a brothel could potentially kill two or three high-ranking officials equivalent to ministers today. There were probably quite a few people in Kaifeng that the Prefect couldn't afford to offend.
Pang Yu lost interest in reading any further, shook his head, and prepared to leave.
Wait, wasn't he supposed to file a complaint?!
Yes, he was going to file a complaint, but that was against the Kaifeng Prefecture under Bao Zheng's jurisdiction. He couldn't fabricate a flawless story of "the burning of the Pang residence and the disappearance of a maid" without personally intervening. But the current Prefect of Kaifeng was Wu Gongzheng—a "lack of impartiality" who was terrified by a certain name on the complaint. Sending Chuixue… oh no, just any servant in the mansion to make a call would guarantee that the entire Kaifeng government office would be brought to the door for questioning.
"The Doctrine of the Mean in the Book of Rites states, 'Nothing is more visible than what is hidden, nothing is more manifest than what is minute; therefore, the superior man is watchful over himself when alone…'" Even after Pang Yu had turned and left, the handsome, blockheaded young man continued his rambling.
"Ouyang Yongshu!"
A loud shout suddenly ignited Wu Gongzheng's fury. His white beard bristled, and his trembling finger pointed at the handsome young man. "I only gave you this post in Kaifeng Prefecture because I respect you as a disciple of Prime Minister Lü, so that you wouldn't be accused of being unqualified by the censors when you're promoted! You just need to hold the horse and the flag steady, and stop pointing fingers at me!"
The handsome young man, Ouyang Yongshu, whether out of idiocy or an excessive sense of justice, solemnly said, "My lord, Yongshu's post in Kaifeng Prefecture is not for seniority, but because..."
Ouyang Yongshu... Ouyang Yongshu...
Pang Yu subconsciously stopped in his tracks, muttering to himself.
Wu Gongzheng was so angry that he couldn't speak, his whole body trembling as he pointed at Ouyang Yongshu.
"You, you...you...I don't care why you came to Kaifeng Prefecture, or what you're after! You, you, you...listen carefully, remember this!" "
As long as I am still the Prefect of Kaifeng, I have the final say on all cases, big and small, in the capital. Anyone who dares to interrupt or speak recklessly will be punished for disrupting the investigation!" Wu Gongzheng unexpectedly lost his composure, completely abandoning his carefully maintained image of being approachable to the people. Even the demeanor and bearing befitting a high-ranking official were thrown to the winds.
The onlookers were dumbfounded, while the yamen runners, sedan chair bearers, clerks, and others were all filled with trepidation—good heavens, could it be that trouble caused by those fearless princes' faction...No wonder the magistrate is so nervous, fearing that Ouyang Shaoli will expose him in public.
If this matter blows up... Your Excellency, as a high-ranking official, will at most lose his post; Ouyang Shaoli has Prime Minister Lü's backing, so "those people" won't dare to vent their anger on him; only we, with neither backing nor background, once this happens... we might end up dead in the street one day, without even a pension!
It erupted, it went mad! Everyone in the group unanimously pointed their anger at Ouyang Yongshu, who was simply looking for trouble. Before Wu Gongzheng could give the order, two fierce-looking constables pounced on him, grabbing his arms and dragging him out.
"Hey, what are you doing? This case hasn't been investigated yet..." Ouyang Yongshu was about to shout when a rag was stuffed into his mouth, the stench was so strong it made his eyes roll back.
Justice was about to vanish, righteousness was about to be extinguished, at the most crucial moment...
the savior arrived!
"Snap!" Another muffled thud, Wu Gongzheng's arm was grabbed again.
It was a strong, powerful hand, imbued with steady strength, unwavering conviction, and an incomparably strong will, firmly restraining him.
"You…" Wu Gongzheng, drenched in sweat, stared at him in disbelief.
Yes, unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable.
Unbelievable that this person, this attire, would suddenly appear here.
Blue robe, small hat, black boots.
Who else could it be but Pang Yu!
Instantly, the entire place fell silent.
Too astonishing, too shocking! A mere servant had actually "attacked" the Prefect of Kaifeng in the street—this was absolutely unprecedented since the founding of the Song Dynasty!
"This case must be tried!" Pang Yu said, each word heavy with weight.
Wu Gongzheng felt as if a thousand-pound boulder had struck his chest; his face turned deathly pale, and he couldn't even breathe. "You…you dare…how dare you…" Suddenly, he caught sight of the gleaming "Pang" embroidered on the chest of his blue robe, his body trembled as if electrocuted, his throat tightened, and his chattering teeth could no longer utter a single word.
"Investigate the case, hurry up." Without any threats or coercion, Pang Yu simply gave Wu Gongzheng five words, then, too lazy to look at his terrified expression, turned to Ouyang Yongshu with a smile: "Little brother, Yongshu is just your courtesy name, actually your given name is 'Xiu,' right? Born in Mianzhou, ancestral home in Luling County, Jiangnan."
Ouyang Yongshu was taken aback.
"Don't be stunned, we're from the same hometown, I can recognize your accent, Ou-yang-xiu—"

Chapter 52 Fourth Brother, the embodiment of chivalry and righteousness!

Ouyang Xiu, one of the Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song, was the best in poetry, lyrics, and prose during the Song Dynasty.
As a leading figure in the Song Dynasty's literary reform movement, his thirteen poems of "Picking Mulberry Leaves," "Jade Tower Spring," "Washing Stream Sand," and "Autumn Sounds" are all masterpieces. In particular, his "Record of the Drunken Pavilion" made many young people dizzy and their eyes blurry from memorizing it. Even Pang Yu, who had a high level of literary cultivation, was forced to copy it no less than twenty times.
Pang Yu's intervention, his righteous act of rescuing Ouyang Xiu, was not motivated by personal vendettas. He didn't intend to detain Ouyang Xiu in a secluded place to settle scores and avenge the pain he had caused his hands from copying books years ago.
On the contrary, it was a pure act of "benevolence," an act of kindness for which he expected something in return.
Historically, Ouyang Xiu was not only a renowned literary leader but also an undisputed political genius. Profound and erudite, his writing was unrestrained and powerful. He served under Emperors Renzong and Shenzong, experiencing three rises and falls without falling from grace, ultimately reaching a position equivalent to a modern vice-state leader. He single-handedly selected and promoted numerous literary figures and officials, including Wang Anshi, Su Shi, and Sima Guang. While co-authoring the *New Book of Tang* with Song Qi and others, he also wrote an entire *History of the Five Dynasties*!
A true talent, an absolute genius.
How could he not take in such a person!
He should make him his underling!!!
The thought that Ouyang Yongshu was actually Ouyang Xiu filled Pang Yu with excitement. The reason he had gone to such great lengths to deal with this tiny little girl and the insignificant Zhan Zhao was because he lacked a capable assistant. It was like Zhuge Liang leading an army with incompetent generals like Pei Yuanshao, Mi Fang, and Fu Shiren—how could he possibly win? It was
the wisdom of the Marquis of Wu!
Pang Yu possessed the wisdom of the Marquis of Wu, but his only capable subordinates were Chuixue, Wanrendi, and a group of third-rate guards from the Imperial Guard (the truly capable ones had long since joined the Shence Army; who would bother staying in the Imperial Guard?). By chance, he encountered the truly talented and brilliant Ouyang Xiu, whose future was destined for greatness…
Why not step forward and betray him first?
What is most important in ancient times?
Talent!
Once you encounter someone like that, you can't let them go.
"Brother... uh, do you know me?" Ouyang Xiu stared at him blankly, his face still bearing the naiveté of a young man, showing absolutely no signs of the literary talent expected of a future literary giant.
Literary giants need nurturing, after all. I wouldn't mind giving this promising young man a pointer.
Pang Yu almost considered taking him on as a disciple.
"We are both righteous men; names are merely external things, just identifiers—oh, my name is Pang Si." Pang Yu philosophically tossed him a thought-provoking statement, then suddenly tightened his grip on Wu Gongzheng's hand, almost breaking his bones. "Quickly, give the order. I don't want to repeat myself."
"You... you you you you... Pang... no..." Wu Gongzheng's shock was somewhat unexpected; he stammered as if he had stumbled upon the most unbelievable thing in the world.
Of course it was unbelievable, Chuixue thought, wiping away sweat.
Even if a servant from the Grand Tutor's mansion glared at him, he was still just a lowly servant. It was no big deal to step on a minor official of the fifth or sixth rank—after all, the Marquis was protecting him. But the Prefect of Kaifeng was not someone to be "bullied" so easily; he was the head of the capital, a high-ranking official, whom even the Grand Tutor treated with great respect.
Of course, if his master wanted to step on him, he could do so without hesitation. There were very few people in the entire Song Dynasty whom
the Marquis of Anle couldn't afford to offend. The problem was that Wu Gongzheng didn't know that the servant from the Pang family, who was grabbing his hand and shouting orders, was the Marquis of Anle, whose every stomp could shake the entire capital. Seeing a mere servant dare to be so arrogant, domineering, and bossy, completely disregarding him, the Prefect of Kaifeng, how could he not be shocked!
"You...you...you...do you know that he sued...he sued..." Wu Gongzheng's teeth chattered, his words were broken and intermittent, and his hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.
"Even a prince is subject to the same laws as a commoner. No matter who he accuses, if I, or Brother Ouyang, witness this, I will see it through to the end!" Pang Yu's voice boomed like a bell, each word carrying immense weight. He had transformed into a messenger of justice, an embodiment of righteousness. His incomparably handsome face seemed to be shrouded in a divine and dazzling light, making his dashing appearance and upright figure even more imposing and majestic. He won cheers and, more importantly, countless female onlookers couldn't help but scream with excitement—So handsome, so incredibly handsome!!!
The servant Pang Yu… no, at this moment, in this place, in everyone's eyes, he had become…
the embodiment of chivalry and righteousness!
"Brother Ouyang!"
Pang Yu waved his hand, snatched the indictment from Wu Gongzheng's sleeve without even looking at it, and threw it to him.
"Here, this is the evidence."
"Thank you, brother!" Ouyang Xiu grabbed it, his gratitude overflowing.
Thank you my ass, he'll just follow me from now on.
Pang Yu smiled faintly, stood tall in the middle, and shouted, "Read it out! Read it out loud in front of the people! Don't be afraid, I'll take responsibility if anything happens!"
"Yes!" Ouyang Xiu agreed and deftly opened the petition.
"You can't read it! You can't read it!" Wu Gongzheng, with strength from who knows where, shook off Pang Yu's hand and lunged forward. "Guards, take them down! Take them down quickly..."
"Go to hell!" Pang Yu couldn't stand these kinds of officials who claimed to be honest and upright but were actually cowardly and only knew how to bully the weak and fear the strong. He kicked him to the ground.
The prefect was being beaten up!
The officials from the yamen, their eyes red, grabbed their weapons and rushed over.
"Who dares to move!" Pang Yu shouted coldly. Although he was dressed in an inconspicuous servant's uniform, he was like a general commanding thousands of troops, majestic and heroic. All the yamen runners and constables were intimidated by his aura and involuntarily stopped what they were doing. The twenty-odd people just stood there, stunned and motionless.
"Brother Ouyang, read it!"
Pang Yu surveyed the crowd, his gaze sharp as a hawk. "Anyone who dares to obstruct the investigation will be punished as an accomplice!"
Ouyang Xiu's gaze towards Pang Yu shifted from gratitude to reverence. If Pang Yu hadn't always been low-key and not particularly eye-catching (though he certainly was!), he probably would have knelt down and sung "Conquer."
Ouyang Xiu never dreamed that he, a mere graduate of the Imperial Academy, would actually challenge a lowly servant to a position in Kaifeng Prefecture on the street. In his excitement, he finally saw a glimpse of the future great minister of the Song Dynasty. He straightened his sleeves, composed himself, and opened the petition, reading aloud: "This humble citizen, Ren Youxian, a resident of Lijia Village in the west of the city..."
As he read, Ouyang Xiu suddenly fell silent, turning back to look at Pang Yu in astonishment.
"Read it! What are you afraid of? Even if I appeal to the Emperor himself, I have a way to make him confess." "Pang Yu stomped his foot arrogantly, his chest thumping loudly.
Ouyang Xiu turned around somewhat dumbfounded and continued reading.
"...I accuse Marquis Anle, Pang Yu, of seizing land, killing my parents, humiliating my younger sister, and taking my wife!"

Chapter Fifty-Three: I've Been Framed

"Farewell, Fourth Master, farewell, Master Ximen—"
At the main gate of the Kaifeng Prefecture government office, Pang Yu swaggered out with his hands behind his back, two constables behind him bowing and scraping, looking like they were seeing off a distinguished guest.
"You bastard, you son of a bitch! You've got no son, you shameless bastard!" Before they had even walked half a street, before they even turned the corner, Chuixue started cursing, spittle flying everywhere.
Pang Yu's face was gloomy, and he glanced at him sideways: "Hey, who are you cursing?" "
That bastard surnamed Ren! He dared to file a complaint all the way to Kaifeng Prefecture, and even blocked the sedan chair in the street to cry out for justice, making you, the Marquis, lose face in front of everyone..."
*Slap—* A remarkably crisp sound rang out.
Judging from the force, sound, and direction, it was clearly not a slap to the face.
It was a facepalm!
Pang Yu held his forehead with his right hand, his thumb and middle finger pressed against his temples, feeling depressed and wanting to slap himself.
Pig, pig, utterly a pig!
If Ouyang Xiu were with me, would he still be openly cursing people like this?!
"On the eighth day of the fourth month, the day the complaint says the Marquis of Anle brought his servants and wicked slaves to snatch people, where was I?"
Pang Yu asked him, word by word, his teeth grinding.
"The eighth... uh, let me think..." Chuixue scratched his head, trying hard to remember.
"No need to think, damn it!" "Pang Yu roared, his furious expression like a powder keg, "From March 20th to April 19th, your master has been locked up in the manor for half a day without ever going out! Where have you been to seize people's land, kill parents, humiliate younger sisters, and take other people's wives?!"
"Huh!?" Chuixue was taken aback, then realized that for a whole month, only she had sneaked out to enjoy herself, while the Marquis had done nothing but eat and sleep, spending more time cooped up in Chunman Garden than in the previous three years combined.
"This... it's not you, Marquis... it must be someone in the manor who knows your feelings and deliberately..."
"You think it's heartless... cough, Father even ordered all the maids and servants who serve me to be wiped out, who in the manor would dare to 'take my place' and snatch girls outside?"
Chuixue shook her head frantically.
"If it was the third and fourth brothers acting in my name, they wouldn't have left without a word afterward, but these past few days when they were plotting to recruit Zhan Zhao, did you hear them mention a single thing?"
Chuixue still shook her head.
"Then... then what's going on, why did this happen out of nowhere..."
"This is a frame-up, a frame-up! Do you understand?" Pang Yu suddenly turned around and grabbed both of his shoulders.
"Your master has been framed! Framing someone!! Stabbed in the back!!!
Really, he really doesn't want to live anymore. With such a stupid personal servant, even if he's smart and cunning, it's all for nothing—Fourth Brother is destined for great things, and great things are often multiplied. Do you understand multiplication? If the number in front is large, multiply it by zero and it's all over! And now his team, except for himself…
is all zero!
Zero! Zero! Even if there are a thousand or ten thousand, it's useless!"
Chuixue was shaken so hard her bones were almost falling apart, and she said in a panic, "My lord, please calm down, please calm down, this matter… this matter must be a misunderstanding… Wu Gongzheng didn't, didn't publicly scold that Ren Youxian, saying he must have made a mistake, my lord, you could never do such a thing…"
"Even if I killed and set fires in the street, in his mouth it would be considered a—family—family!" "
After Pang Yu finished his hysterical roar, he threw Chuixue on the ground and strode away, too lazy to care anymore.
Talking to idiots really lowers your IQ!
Never before had the urge to recruit a few good henchmen been so strong in Pang Yu's heart.
××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××
"Crack!"
A teacup smashed on the ground and shattered.
"Damn it, who dares to be so audacious? I'll bury him in money!"
"Crack!" "Crack!" Two plates smashed on the ground and shattered again.
"Damn it, how dare you, Big Brother! I'll have my men storm into Kaifeng Prefecture, drag him out, and tear him apart!"
"Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!" "Teapot, cups, tray, vase... It's still the best restaurant in Bianliang City, Yu Lu Xiang, still in that largest and most luxurious private room. Gao Ya Nei and Qian Shi Cai, two纨绔公子弟 (playboys), are furious because their wise and mighty elder brother has been framed. They're grabbing anything they can throw and smash, smashing it on the ground as if they won't be satisfied until they've had their fill. Good
heavens! Good heavens!
Pang Yu is practically going crazy.
Can't you two use your brains? Quickly think about who's ruining my reputation outside! Smash! Smash! Smash! Smash! Smash! All you do is smash! Will tearing down the entire Yu Lu Xiang restaurant ever find that shameless bastard?!
Heavens above, earth below, what can I, such a brilliant servant, accomplish with this bunch of idiots?!
"Alright, stop it!" Pang Yu grabbed a chair and slammed it against the screen.
"Crack!" The screen shattered in two, startling Gao Yanei and Qian Shicai, who both stopped what they were doing.
"Come on, Pang Si, smash it! Smash it all!" Gao Yanei, oblivious to the danger, handed him a vase.
Pang Yu was both amused and exasperated.
"Alright, alright, it's time to get down to business and figure things out." Qian Shicai, at least somewhat considerate, took the vase and put it back.
"Get to business? Get to business my ass!" Gao Yanei lunged forward, grabbed the "surviving" vase, and threw it to the ground, shattering it with a "bang."
"It's obvious that those two little bastards, Zhao Shiqing and Zhao Shikai, ordered it!" "Gao Yanei slammed his fist on the table and cursed, "Damn it, his ancestors for eighteen generations! He can't beat my eldest brother in women, he can't beat my second brother in gambling, he can't beat my men in a fight! And he's
the one who hired people to ruin our reputation!" "Yes, yes, third brother, now that you mention it, I remember too." Qian Shicai's IQ plummeted in his excitement. "It's those two beasts who have mothers but no mothers. Back at the end of the year, they fought with eldest brother over Yunqing from Tianxiang Tower, and he was trampled so badly that he didn't even know his ancestors' names anymore. They held a grudge ever since, but they had no chance to retaliate, so they simply used eldest brother's name to do these despicable things outside, pointing at the aggrieved party and making a scene in Kaifeng Prefecture, making a scene in Bao Yanluo's place, until the emperor stripped eldest brother of his title. Vicious, truly vicious!"
"Zhao Shiqing, Zhao Shikai..." Pang Yu frowned slightly. "They're the 'beasts with the surname Zhao' that you used to talk about, the spoiled brats, scoundrels, pampered rich kids who only know how to squander their family fortune?" "
Yes, Prince Zhao Shiqing of Kuaiji and Prince Zhao Shikai of Anding, two good-for-nothing scumbags who can't do anything but eat, drink, gamble, and play! Relying on their lineage as direct descendants of Emperor Taizu and the grandsons of Prince Yan Yi, they've gathered a bunch of second-generation rich kids surnamed Zhao, calling themselves... the 'Prince Party,' and they're always opposing us, no matter what!"
Oh, so Bianliang isn't all mine alone after all.
Good, very good, I was just worried about not having any rivals.
Pang Yu didn't get angry but laughed, a chillingly wicked glint in his eyes.
"It's probably not just Zhao Shiqing and Zhao Shikai who've started this Prince Party. If it were just two princes who aren't direct descendants of Emperor Taizong, their group... humph, they would have been crushed by the Marquis long ago!" “
That’s right, speaking of the real mastermind behind the Prince’s Party…” Gao Ya had only just begun to speak when a deafening sound of gongs and drums suddenly erupted outside the window, the clattering so loudly it shook the table.
Pang Yu went over, opened the window, and looked down.
Good heavens!
A dense crowd of two or three thousand people were leading a grand procession along the imperial road. At the head of the procession was a tall, pure white horse, without a single stray hair. On its back sat a handsome young man, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding a dashing and heroic air. His fine brocade robe shone brilliantly in the sunlight, and three white feathers on his hair ornament fluttered in the wind. What a refined and elegant gentleman! As
he rode in, his demeanor was composed and graceful. The occasional slight smile on his lips immediately elicited screams of ecstasy from the surrounding girls. He looked like a 21st-century superstar on a leisurely stroll.
“Hey, who’s this guy?” "You're dressed in fancy clothes, aren't you? Pretty cocky, huh?" Pang Yu asked, unconvinced.
"Zhao... Prince Zhao Yunbi of Beihai!" Gao Ya stammered, his lips twitching slightly. "The true leader and number one figure of the Prince's faction, and... and... he's one of the three young masters of the capital, alongside my elder brother!"
Even Pang Yu, who was used to big scenes and had excellent composure, was shocked.
Good heavens!
Is this for real? The top spot in the Prince's faction is held by such a handsome young man?!
—The surprise was yet to come.
"Look, what's that?" Qian Shicai pointed.
Pang Yu looked in the direction he was pointing and saw two prison carts, each containing two people, one tall and one short. Their faces were unclear from the distance, but two large, conspicuous wooden plaques hung on the front of the carts.
The wooden sign bore large characters:
Qingzishan, Zhao Yuhe!
"Gentlemen!" Zhao Yunbi reined in his horse and bowed deeply to all directions.
"I have heard that the lecherous bandits of Qi County are rampant, causing fear and sleepless nights, a great scourge to the capital. The people will not be at peace until these bandits are eliminated. Last night, I went alone to Qi County and, with a little trickery, apprehended the two!"
Before he finished speaking, cheers erupted throughout the street.
Everyone was cheering and jumping for joy, relieved that the lecherous bandits, whose names had been the talk of the town and feared by everyone, had finally been captured by the young and capable Prince of Beihai.
Only Pang Yu, Gao Yanei, and Qian Shicai inside the house stared at each other, bewildered.

Chapter Fifty-Four: Speaking Up for the People, Severely Punishing Pang Yu

"This...this...this...the whole story about the lecherous thief is fabricated! Where did Qingzishan and Zhao Yuhe come from?!" Gao Yanei's hand trembled as he pointed at the prison cart, his body convulsing as if having an epileptic seizure.
Pang Yu remained silent, coldly staring at the smug Zhao Yunbi below, his eyes seemingly frozen with ice.
Gao Yanei, Chuixue, Gao Dawei, and Qian Dajin were all dumbfounded; the four of them just stood there dumbfounded.
Qian Shicai paused for a moment, then suddenly snapped to attention: "No...no, it couldn't be that Zhao Yunbi instructed people to spread rumors everywhere, causing panic in the capital, and then..."
"Then he went out for a stroll, randomly grabbed two people to pretend to be lecherous thieves, and ostentatiously brought them into the city in a prison cart. That way, the whole of Bianliang would know that he, Prince Zhao Yunbi of Beihai, was a hero, an outstanding young man who disregarded his personal safety and went out of the city alone to rid the people of a scourge and save all the young ladies of the capital!"
Pang Yu gritted his teeth.
"—Being inexplicably used by villains and almost kept in the dark, how could Fourth Brother be happy! If it weren't for his usual gentlemanly image, he would have jumped out and started cursing long ago.
"The lecherous thief never existed in the first place. Once he's caught, the rumors will naturally subside. Zhao Yunbi's move is truly brilliant!" Qian Shicai's first sentence was somewhat sensible, but his second sentence made Pang Yu, who had just begun to have some "hope" for him, almost vomit blood on the spot. "Oh my god, what a scene! Tsk tsk tsk, so magnificent and grand! If I were the one riding the horse, if Fengxian and Xiangjun from Huamanlou saw me, wouldn't they all be vying to throw themselves at me and curry favor? Then... hehehe, open the window to the autumn moonlight, extinguish the candle and loosen the silk skirt, smiling behind the curtain..."
Look, look, our playboy Master Qian can actually recite poetry!
Qian Shicai, with a lewd expression, swayed his head and muttered to himself, lost in endless daydreams. Pang Yu
stood by, on the verge of tears, wishing he could bang his head against the wall! Of his group of纨绔 (spoiled brats) and their servants, the only one with any intelligence was Qian Shicai. Occasionally, he would utter a few insightful words, and
Pang Yu had initially planned to "cultivate" him and develop his mind, so at least he'd have a capable underling to rely on later. But... if he mentioned anything about eating, drinking, gambling, whoring, or prostitution, the "sparkling" young master Qian would immediately turn into a fool again.
...
Gently, Pang Yu sensed something was amiss and stared out the window.
Among the crowds on both sides of the street, among the cheering commoners, every five or six zhang (approximately 10-15 meters) there were always three or five unidentifiable, furtive individuals mingling among them. Every time Zhao Yunbi spoke, they would lead the shouting, not only shouting themselves but also inciting the people around them, resulting in each deafening cheer.
Damn, so he hired shills too.
"Please be quiet, everyone. Please hear me out." Having made his moment in the spotlight and established his authority, Zhao Yunbi waved to the crowd, a subtle, almost imperceptible hint of wickedness flashing across his handsome, otherworldly face.
The entire hall fell silent.
"I have heard—" he said, deliberately drawing out each word, "that Pang Yu, the most troublesome and dissolute young master in the capital, has once again committed the heinous acts of insulting another man's cousin and stealing another man's wife and daughter. The people are outraged..."
"Kill that Pang fellow! That Pang fellow should die!"
"Remove his title of Marquis! Throw him in jail!"
"A disgrace to the Celestial Empire, scum of the Song Dynasty!"
Shills, more shills! Zhao Yunbi hadn't even finished speaking when the shifty-eyed group of men began shouting.
Intimidated by the Marquis of Anle's power, the commoners dared not echo his earlier chorus, but incited by the ubiquitous shills, scattered shouts and curses began to rise.
"Yesterday, on Tongyi Street in the north of the city, a wronged man blocked the street, crying out for justice. Prefect Wu Gongzheng of Kaifeng, a man of high moral character and widely praised for his integrity and incorruptibility, intended to handle the matter impartially and arrest the suspect. However, Pang Si, a newly recruited lackey of the Grand Tutor's mansion, along with the notorious servant Ximen Chuixue, arrived upon hearing the news and, relying on their master's power, pressured Prefect Wu. The junior official Ouyang Xiu, speaking out for justice, was brutally beaten by Pang Si. Even more pitiful was the wronged man; his complaint was rejected, and Pang Si coerced Prefect Wu into throwing him in jail, even bribing the yamen runners to whip him severely…
I curse your ancestors for eighteen generations!
"I curse your ancestors for eighteen generations!"
Pang Yu thought bitterly. Chuixue jumped up, cursing, and tried to jump out the window.
"Snap!" Pang Yu grabbed her hand.
"Fourth floor, you're going to jump and die." "
Chuixue shrank back faster than a ghost, but still kept shouting: 'Fourth Brother! We can't stand it anymore! This guy is framing us all over the streets, it's too much! Wu Gongzheng clearly wanted to show favoritism from the beginning, Ouyang Xiu is perfectly fine and there's nothing wrong with him, and it was you who ordered that the scholar who filed the complaint be properly settled, not thrown into jail and abused...'
'That's not all.' Pang Yu sneered, 'The complaint says it's about the Marquis accusing someone of abducting another man's wife, but in Zhao Yunbi's mouth it's become about abducting someone's wife and daughter. Wife, sister, and woman all snatched at once, he really thinks highly of my Marquis.'
'That's nothing, not to mention he's snatched all three.' " "Gao Ya Nei is truly stupid. Even at a time like this, he's still in the mood to joke around, completely oblivious to the seriousness of the situation." He continued, "Wife, daughter, sister, sister-in-law, younger sister, and their beautiful stepmother. My sister is unmarried and quite pretty; my eldest brother took her in. My sister-in-law was given to my fourth brother. I took my stepmother home and played with her for a full half-month..."
With a friend like this, Pang Yu truly didn't know what to say.
"Fellow villagers, look at this! What does it mean to disregard the law? What does it mean to bully others with one's power!" Zhao Yunbi's expression was agitated, seemingly filled with righteous indignation, but in reality, he was simply pouring mud at Pang Yu's head. "Everyone, think about it carefully. How many evil deeds has he committed in recent years! Yes, I, Zhao Yunbi, am not afraid. I'm not afraid that Pang Yu will provoke me, to steal my sisters and women—the princesses and consorts of the Great Song Dynasty are not something he can just covet and touch at will; but what about you? Your sisters, wives, and daughters—aren't you afraid of being humiliated by him?!" Despite his burning hatred, Pang Yu had to admit he was impressed by Zhao Yunbi's eloquence. The thousands of people present ,
who had initially been largely silent upon hearing the name of the Marquis of Anle, were suddenly agitated by his persuasive and emotional appeal, further fueled by the instigation of his accomplices. Some hurled insults, others beat their chests in despair, and still others flew into a rage – it was practically a denunciation meeting specifically for the Marquis of Anle.
Upstairs, Qian Shicai and his men were hacking away, their teeth clenched and eyes blazing with fury.
Only Pang Yu smiled.
His smile was colder than icicles in the dead of winter.
Zhao Yunbi, still not satisfied, added fuel to the fire: "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, in Bianliang, the capital of the mighty Song Dynasty, are we to allow this villainous Pang Yu to run rampant and wantonly defile the women of the entire city?" He pointed to the prison van behind him, “Qingzishan and Zhao Yuhe, two lecherous scoundrels who caused havoc in Qi County, you hate them to the bone, wishing you could tear them apart and eat their flesh, but you don’t know that compared to the women Pang Yu has ruined…”
"I know, I heard from the servants who worked in the Grand Tutor's mansion that since he was thirteen, Marquis Anle has slept with eight women every night, and he can't sleep until he's had his fill."
"Over the years, he's ruined at least eight hundred, if not a thousand."
"Look at this, everyone, what are these two lecherous scoundrels compared to the lustful Marquis Anle?"
These were naturally the "opinions" of the group of accomplices Zhao Yunbi had hired. Unfortunately, the ignorant people's raging anger burned even brighter. One of the accomplices shouted, "Pang Yu, the greatest lecher in the world!" and suddenly the roar of "Pang Yu, the greatest lecher in the world!" echoed along the entire imperial road for three miles.
"Lock him up! Send him to jail!"
"Your Highness, you must stand up for the people!"
"Strip him of his title, try Pang Yu, and give the people of the capital justice!" Public resentment boiled over, and the crowd was in an uproar.
Even Gao Yanei, who had initially been the least concerned, turned pale with fright.
“Pang, Pang Si, if we go out now... if we get recognized on the street, we might get trampled to death by the common people.”
“Being trampled to death would be a good thing. Do you believe that Zhao Yunbi could incite them to burn the Marquis alive?” Pang Yu sneered, squinting at the window, wanting to see how many more tricks he could pull.
“Fellow villagers—”
Zhao Yunbi raised his arms and shouted.
“What goes around comes around. For the stability of Bianliang City, for the sake of the innocence of all women, we can no longer let Pang Yu act recklessly!”
“Put Pang Yu in court, uphold the law!”
“Put Pang Yu in court, uphold the law!”
“Put Pang Yu in court, uphold the law!”
This shout was heard throughout most of the capital.
“Guards, bring the pen!!!” Zhao Yunbi’s long roar silenced the crowd.
Immediately, someone brought a table behind him, with pen, ink, and inkstone already laid out, and in the center was an open, blank memorial.
"Whoosh—" Zhao Yunbi leaped off his horse, tearing off his long robe and tossing it aside to reveal the brocade dress he wore underneath. From afar, he stood gracefully, handsome and dashing, instantly eliciting another round of screams.
Zhao Yunbi pressed down on the folded paper, looked up and pondered for a moment, then bent down to write, glancing at the entire room again, his writing becoming even faster. After a while, he suddenly let out a deep shout and held the entire memorial up.
The paper was covered with bold, vigorous strokes of ink, two pages of densely packed, tiny characters, but for some reason, there was a blank space at the end, as if some pages of paper had not yet been unfolded.
"I have recorded all of Pang Yu's evil deeds in this memorial, and I await His Majesty's return from his inspection tour of Xijing (Luoyang) to immediately enter the palace to plead for the people..."
"This villain's evil deeds are notorious and too numerous to mention.
We are grateful to Your Highness." "Your Highness is righteous; you have rid the people of this traitor once again." "
The Marquis of Anle has the Grand Tutor's backing, and even the Prefect of Kaifeng can't do anything to him. Only Your Highness can seek justice for us!"
Countless voices shouted in unison, most of them naturally acting as accomplices.
"Alas, to be honest," Zhao Yunbi suddenly sighed, a rather loud sigh.
"I have a long-standing feud with Pang Yu. Even if what I have said is true, I fear that his cronies will falsely accuse me of having ulterior motives and settling personal scores..."
"Your Highness, we can all sign this memorial!"
"I'll affix my fingerprint."
"I'll also accuse!"
The shouts rose and fell, the first to call out being those of accomplices.
"This..." Zhao Yunbi hesitated.
"The Prince has submitted a ten-thousand-word petition, not for personal revenge, but to plead for the people."
"We hope the Prince will convey our people's sentiments to His Majesty."
The two who shouted the loudest were obviously shills.
"Plead for the people, severely punish Pang Yu!"
"Plead for the people, severely punish Pang Yu!"
"Plead for the people, severely punish Pang Yu!"
The unified slogans were like a mountain roar and a tsunami, shaking Gao Ya Nei, Qian Shi Cai, Chui Xue, Gao Da Wei, and Qian Da Jin so much that their lips trembled, their bodies shook, and they seemed about to collapse at any moment.
"In that case, thank you all very much—" Zhao Yunbi mounted his horse, clasped his hands and bowed three times to the surrounding crowd, while his subordinates carried the written memorial and the prepared inkpad, brushes, and other items to the people.
When he looked up again, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally drifted towards the private room on the fourth floor of the Imperial Incense Burner, a chilling smile on his lips.

Chapter Fifty-Four: Walking into a Trap

The night was deep.
It was almost midnight when the surging crowds on both sides of the Imperial Road gradually dispersed.
Pang Yu and his accomplices huddled in the incense burner all night, smashing five eight-immortal tables, thirty-seven mahogany chairs, and over two hundred cups, bowls, and plates before they could even begin to vent their anger at being dealt a heavy blow by the Prince's faction.
As a rational man, Pang Yu didn't join their vandalism. He ordered a pot of pre-rain Longjing tea and sat quietly to one side, deep in thought.
Sure enough, it was all a conspiracy by the Prince's faction from beginning to end.
The rumors were deliberately spread and amplified by their people; the down-on-his-luck scholar's protest in the street was certainly pre-arranged; even the outspoken and righteous young talent Ouyang Xiu might have been orchestrated by Zhao Yunbi and his associates, who deliberately arranged for Wu Gongzheng to recruit him into the Kaifeng Prefecture.
—According to their plan, the down-on-his-luck scholar would block the street and cry out for justice. Wu Gongzheng, seeing that the accusation was against the Marquis of Anle, would surely be too frightened to handle it. Ouyang Xiu, unable to stand by and watch, would object. Afterwards
, whether Wu Gongzheng handled it or not, the matter would definitely escalate. Then, with the "professional shills of the Song Dynasty" hired by the prince's faction spreading the word, it would become the talk of the town. What kind of temper did the Marquis of Anle have? The same old one! Yes, fearless, vindictive, ruthless. Knowing that a newcomer from Kaifeng Prefecture had caused the trouble, he would surely lead his thugs and lackeys to his door and beat him half to death—half to death, but after they left, he might actually die.
Zhao Yunbi could arrange for someone to finish him off later.
If it were anyone else, death wouldn't matter.
But Ouyang Xiu was a protégé of the current prime minister, Lü Yijian. Would Lü Yijian let it go so easily after meeting him for no reason?
One prince's faction... no, one Zhao Yunbi was enough to give Pang Yu, Gao Yanei, Qian Shicai, and their bunch of纨绔子弟 (spoiled brats) a headache. Add to that a highly respected minister, even the emperor had to show him deference, and even if Grand Tutor Pang held immense power, he probably couldn't protect his troublemaking son this time.
Poisonous, truly damn poisonous!
Pang Yu curled his tongue.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to give up his life—with his sister's pillow talk and his father's protection, as long as he didn't seize any princesses or empresses, or cuckold his brother-in-law, the emperor, even if he stole every woman in the world or directly stabbed Lü Yijian to death, he would never lose his head.
He wouldn't lose his head, but he'd most likely lose his title of Marquis of Anle, and might even be placed under house arrest, forbidden from stepping outside his residence.
The Crown Prince's faction was nothing but a collection of good-for-nothing playboys
. Now that their leader was in trouble and unable to lead the group, could Gao Yanei and Qian Shicai possibly defeat Zhao Yunbi? What a close call!
Pang Yu was thankful he was a farsighted man, having the foresight to recognize talent and not "touch" Ouyang Xiu; otherwise, he would have truly fallen into Zhao Yunbi's trap.
A trap… Ah!
He suddenly gasped in shock.
When Ouyang Xiu read out the complaint against the Marquis of Anle at midday, Pang Yu was momentarily stunned, but quickly regained his composure and volunteered to go to Kaifeng Prefecture to investigate the matter thoroughly. At the time, he was unaware that he had such a "powerful" opponent as the Prince's Party, and thought it was some scoundrel using his name to commit wrongdoing. After personally questioning him a couple of times and finding no loopholes proving it was fabricated, he simply handed the case back to Kaifeng Prefecture, telling Wu Gongzheng to investigate it himself.
Because he hadn't done it himself, Pang Yu was magnanimous and, instead of instructing Wu Gongzheng to persecute the complainant, he even told Ouyang Xiu to treat him well in front of him.
—He wouldn't normally be so kind; he only showed considerable leniency to let Ouyang Xiu "experience" his uprightness.
When he left Kaifeng Prefecture, Ouyang Xiu was completely unharmed, something Zhao Yunbi could never have imagined. This was also the biggest flaw in his instigation. Pang Yu had originally thought that with a living witness and without pressure from the Prime Minister, dealing with the Prince's faction alone shouldn't be difficult. That's why he wasn't in a hurry to leave, and instead, while drinking tea, he pieced together the whole story.
As he finished his tea, he suddenly realized that if Zhao Yunbi was truly willing to go to any lengths to frame him and use this to destroy the entire Crown Prince's faction, he could simply take a drastic approach—send someone to Kaifeng Prefecture tonight to assassinate Ouyang Xiu, then deliberately leave some evidence to point the finger entirely at him!
Pang Yu grabbed a robe hanging on a wooden rack, hastily threw it on, and rushed out.
"Fourth Brother, where are you going?" Chuixue asked urgently.
"Kaifeng Prefecture!" With those three words, Pang Yu had already vanished. In the endless darkness, Pang Yu sprinted, taking a shortcut straight to Kaifeng Prefecture.
He regretted not bringing a horse. Sigh, it was all a consequence of his fondness for infantry (those who understand this are all like me, *smirk*). Although he could see through that, Dong Re and Momotaro only served as infantry. The shortcut was secluded; apart from the moonlight and starlight filtering through the sky, there were hardly any pedestrians or even a speck of dust. However, since his previous experience of getting lost, Pang Yu had learned his lesson and sent someone to the Ministry of Works to obtain a complete map of Bianliang City. He memorized it perfectly, knowing it so well that he wouldn't get lost even in the dark. —Without knowing the way, you can't pick up girls on the street. He would forever remember the bloody lesson from his past life. A hero is always thinking of others. Pang Yu was focused on rushing to Kaifeng to rescue Ouyang Xiu, but he overlooked a crucial issue: himself! He was some distance from Yu Lu Xiang when three dark figures suddenly sprang out of the woods ahead. One tall, one fat, one thin. These were the differences between them; what they had in common was that each carried a gleaming steel knife. A highway robbery?! Pang Yu was startled and stopped in his tracks. “Brothers, it’s not easy for you to be out here blocking the road in the middle of the night. Here’s a small token of my respect, take it and have some tea.” Pang Yu, accustomed to grand occasions, remained calm, casually pulling out a note he had extorted from Qian Shicai over half an hour… to pay tribute to the Marquis, and “generously” handed it over. “Money? We don’t want it,” came the muffled reply. “Then what do you want? I don’t have any treasures on me.” “Your life!” “Ah!?” Pang Yu took two steps back, his heart suddenly tightening. "Want to go to Kaifeng to rescue Ouyang Xiu? Hmph, you'd better worry about yourself." The fat man sneered, and with a "whoosh," he raised his steel knife above his head. "You..." Pang Yu asked, his voice trembling with fear. "Are you Zhao Yunbi's men?" "Whose men you are is none of your business, nor do you need to, because you'll be dead soon." The tall man in black gleamed with malice, holding his knife in his backhand as he walked towards him step by step. Now Pang Yu couldn't help but lose his composure; it was a matter of life and death! That Zhao Yunbi! He had actually predicted that Pang Yu would rush to Kaifeng to inform Ouyang Xiu that very night, and had specially arranged assassins to wait for him on the alley, waiting for him to walk right into his trap. No, not only that, but he, Gao Yanei, Qian Shicai, and the others had also spent the entire night at the Imperial Incense Burner. Zhao Yunbi probably had anticipated that as well. Chapter 55: The Wise and Courageous Fourth Brother Pang Yu hadn't expected Zhao Yunbi to be so vicious, not even sparing a lowly servant like himself. Indeed, one shouldn't be too brilliant or dazzling in any era. In the 21st century, it only attracts jealousy and resentment, but in the 11th century, it's practically a death sentence! Pang Yu had a very bad premonition. —From this moment on, his peaceful days in the Song Dynasty were over ! "Wait a minute—" he suddenly shouted, extending his hand forward with five fingers pointing forward. A gesture to stop. "Wait a minute, you... can't we all make a deal?" "Go talk to the King of Hell if you have something to say." The tall man in black ignored him and drew his knife to chop at his head. "Two hundred strings of cash!" Pang Yu shouted, and the knife stopped. The two men in black, who were originally just blocking the way to prevent him from escaping, actually took a few steps forward. "How much did Zhao Yunbi pay you for the life of a lowly servant like me? Ten strings of cash? Twenty strings? Or thirty strings?" Pang Yu remained calm, though he had mentally cursed Zhao Yunbi's entire family without a trace of panic on his face. Instead, he smiled and said, "I'll give you two hundred strings. Go back and report that you killed the wrong person, or that I was rescued. As long as you open your mouth, the money is yours." As he spoke, Pang Yu reached into his sleeve and quickly pulled out more than a dozen bills, which swayed in the moonlight, making the three assassins' eyes involuntarily follow the bills. Money, sometimes, really is a good thing. Just as Pang Yu sighed this, the tall man in black snorted. "We have our principles. If we take the money, we have to do the job well." "Principles my ass!" Pang Yu retorted. “They’re all out selling themselves… what principles do they have for assassins? It’s all about money. Let me go, you can get enough for dozens more jobs, why not?” “Two hundred strings of cash, a whole two hundred strings! Look at it, feel it.” Pang Yu took two steps forward, waving the banknotes in front of the tall man in black. “This money can buy over a hundred acres of fertile land in the capital, and you’ll be a big landowner; you can build a three-story mansion with eight courtyards and two gardens, and hire dozens of servants and maids to serve you, whose first words every morning are ‘Good morning, Master’; you can marry a whole courtyard of wives, sleeping with three of them every night, for a month straight without getting tired of each other!” His words were incredibly seductive, probably not much less persuasive than Obama’s campaign speech for the US presidency. The tall man in black showed interest, and the gleaming knife slowly lowered. “Big Brother,” the fat man beside him spoke. “This…we can’t accept this money, it will damage our brothers’ reputation…” “What do you mean, ‘spread’?” Pang Yu interrupted him without any politeness.

“Only heaven, earth, you, me, and those two know about this. If you took the money and nothing happened, would you go around telling everyone? I paid for my life, would I have the face to go around telling everyone?”
The fat man thought it over and realized it was true; his eyes gleamed as he stared at the banknotes.
The skinny man panicked, jumping up and down, shouting, “Brother, we can’t let this kid go! If we can’t complete the task the Prince entrusted to us, we’ll have no good days ahead!”
"Hmph, killing a first-class servant of the Grand Tutor's mansion will only make your lives worse." Pang Yu glared at him rudely, pointing his thumb at himself. "Do you know that normally, a servant in the Grand Tutor's mansion has to work for thirty years for even a twenty-tenth of the time to be promoted to second-class servant? During that time, they can't have any record of violating the mansion's rules—not even one. Thirty years, you know, that's incredibly difficult. Think about it carefully. As for my current position as a first-class servant, there are no more than six in the entire two hundred or so servants of the Grand Tutor's mansion. Four of the stewards are over sixty and on the verge of death, and the other one is now working for me, doing whatever Fourth Brother tells him to do, understand? Sigh, let's put it this way..." "I am currently the most promising and limitless servant in the Grand Tutor's mansion. If you kill me, you are slapping the Marquis in the face, slapping the Grand Tutor across the face, and causing Consort Pang in the palace to lose face and be embarrassed in front of the other concubines! Think about the consequences!"
It wasn't that Pang Yu was too arrogant or overbearing, having the leisure to speak like this to the villains who came to take his life, nor that the assassins were too stupid or useless, too scared to act by a lowly servant who was originally going to chop off his head, but rather that Pang Yu had determined that these three were low-level assassins. With money—two hundred strings of cash—it would be enough to make them dizzy and disoriented, not even knowing what they came for.
The skinny man was a little frightened by him, his lips twitching twice, and he dared not say anything more.
"Then it's settled. Two hundred strings of cash, take it and let me go. One hand pays, the other hand makes way." Pang Yu shrugged off the banknotes.
The three assassins exchanged glances, seemingly still hesitant.
"What, two hundred strings of cash per person and you still think it's not enough?"
"What, two hundred per person!?" The three men exclaimed in unison.
"That's right, otherwise how would you split two hundred strings of cash?" Pang Yu rolled his eyes and saw the three men rubbing their hands together, grinning and throwing their knives on the ground, their eyes filled with greed.
Hmph, they exposed their true colors with just a little bait. Zhao Yunbi and Zhao the Fool sent this kind of person to kill me, they're as stupid as pigs—Pang Yu scornfully glared at his future biggest rival.
"Hey, big brother." The fat man suddenly woke up.
"What?"
"If we... if we skin this kid alive, can we still get six hundred strings of cash, and then collect the five strings of cash the Prince gives us when we get back?" The fat man asked, scratching his head.
Five strings of cash! That's all I'm worth!!!
Pang Yu wished he could pick up a brick and pounce on them to take them down.
“Good idea, but unfortunately I only have two hundred on me.” He finally held back, and as a well-educated, cultured, and virtuous servant of the Pang family, he shrugged and sneered.
“What, two hundred?” The skinny man rushed forward.
“Then how will you pay six…”
“Installment payment, you know? Never heard of that? Really?” Pang Yu feigned surprise. “Don’t you guys also take a deposit when you kill someone, and pay the rest after it’s done? Same principle. I’ll give you two hundred now and let me go, and I’ll pay you the remaining four hundred later.”
“What if you don’t pay me back after I let you go?” The tall assassin was worried.
"Oh, my three esteemed brothers, three masters of unparalleled martial arts, I am but a servant of the Pang family, utterly powerless and without any bodyguards. How could I dare to owe you money and not repay it? Unless I have the ability to stay in the Grand Tutor's mansion forever, with your great skills, are you afraid you won't be able to catch me?"
Seeing the three still hesitating, Pang Yu readily patted his chest. "How about this, I swear to God, if you let me go now, and I don't pay back the remaining four hundred strings of cash within three days, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death."
Finally, after wasting countless breaths, time, and energy, the three assassins nodded in unison.
"Quickly, give us two hundred strings of cash first!"
"Hurry up and give it to us."
"Take it and we'll let you go."
The three walked together, completely forgetting about blocking the road.
Pang Yu had no intention of running away. Looking at the greed in the assassins' eyes, a wicked smile curved his lips.
"Brother," he said to the tall assassin.
“Let’s discuss it and agree on a location, so it won’t be a problem if someone sees us paying.”
Pang Yu leaned close to the tall assassin’s ear and whispered something.
The tall assassin was startled, his eyes widening as he stared at him.
“The Pianxian Tower is too crowded and chaotic, won’t it? Okay, okay, I’ll tell you another place.”
He whispered something again.
This time it was longer, with the tall assassin occasionally replying, clearly in discussion.
The fat assassin and the thin assassin were curious and moved closer to listen, but their voices were so soft that they couldn’t hear anything.
After a short while,
“Alright, it’s settled.” Pang Yu patted his shoulder, laughing heartily, then quietly stepped back.
“You two come here.” The tall assassin, expressionless, beckoned his two brothers to his side.
“Big brother, what did you say? Where is it?”
“It’s right here…”
The tall assassin’s voice trailed off, and the fat assassin and the thin assassin both pricked up their ears and moved closer simultaneously.
"Swish!" "Swish—"
A flash of white blades swept past, grazing the chests of the two men. The fat assassin hadn't even heard what his elder brother said before he was suddenly slashed diagonally from his cheek to his lower abdomen. He fell backward before he could even scream. The thin assassin tried to back away, but a gleaming longsword pierced his chest, cutting right through him.
"Brother, you...you..." His voice was hoarse, his face filled with disbelief. Intense pain overwhelmed him, his eyes rolled back, and he looked like he was about to die.
"Why...we're brothers, you..."
"Brothers? Brothers are for betraying!" Pang Yu chuckled coldly, then rushed forward and kicked the thin man, sending him sprawling. Blood splattered as the knife dislodged. The poor man hadn't even seen two hundred strings of cash before his elder brother sent him to meet the King of Hell. His head lolled to one side, his eyes wide open in death.
"Oh, brother, you're really clever!" He gave the tall assassin a thumbs-up and smiled. "Kill those two, and you'll keep all six hundred strings of cash. No need to worry about a leak. I'll pay you off tomorrow, and you'll be set for life. You can build a big garden in Jiangnan with beautiful scenery..."
"Enough nonsense, give me the money!" The tall assassin glared and threw his blood-soaked steel knife in front of him.
Damn, this is a threat, a blatant one.
Pang Yu was furious, but saving his life was paramount. He obediently went to retrieve the banknotes he had just put back in his sleeve.
"Brother, please... please keep this safe, take it and let me go." He trembled as he handed it over, but suddenly his hand trembled, and the banknotes fell to the ground.
Two hundred strings of cash! That's the amount he'd earn in three years of killing!
The tall assassin quickly bent down to pick them up, afraid they'd be blown away by the wind.
He was a martial arts practitioner after all; his hand speed was incredibly fast, and he picked them all up in no time. The tall man dusted off his trousers, stood up, and prepared to leave as agreed...
Suddenly, everything went white!
Lime!!!
By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.
The lime stung his eyes instantly, causing excruciating pain. The tall man clutched his face, screamed, and staggered backward.
Would Fourth Brother give him a chance?
No!
Pang Yu swiftly bent down, grabbed a steel knife, and swung it down at the man's face.
Pang Yu had never killed a person.
But he had killed chickens.
Killing a person and killing a chicken were similar in many ways. For example, killing a chicken usually involved slitting the throat, a single cut and the blood would drip dry. Killing a person was similar, but there was no need for a slow drip; as soon as the blood spurted out, the person was dead.
This time, Pang Yu used his family's three-generation-old chicken-killing technique.
— The blade was angled downwards at a slight forty-five-degree angle, the front slightly forward and the back slightly narrowed. The three middle and ring fingers gripped the handle tightly, the thumb thrusting the blade upwards, the wrist generating force, bringing it down with the force of a thunderbolt!
This technique was foolproof for killing chickens.
For killing a person, the blow landed heavily on the tall assassin's neck, and the blood spurted almost two meters high.
The tall man died and fell to the ground. Pang Yu naturally bent down to collect the two hundred strings of banknotes. "
Damn it, try playing with me? Go learn from the King of Hell first!
" He spat and tossed the knife aside.
He continued clearing the way.
He hadn't gone two steps when Pang Yu looked ahead and was dumbfounded.
Five zhang away, under some ruins on the only path, stood several assassins. At first glance, there seemed to be dozens of them, their countless steel blades reflecting the starlight, dazzling his eyes!

Chapter Fifty-Six: Fairy Sister, Beautiful Bodyguard.

Writing this made my head spin and my eyes blurry, but I finally finished—Young Master and Fourth Brother are alike; they never go back on their word!!!
——————————A gorgeous dividing line——————————————
One word: Run!
This was the only thing Pang Yu could do now.
Without any hesitation, he scattered the large sum of money he had just collected into the air, turned around, and ran away!
A moment of patience brings calm, a step back opens up a vast sky.
As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood.
A true man can bend and stretch; that's what makes him a hero.
Look at all these ancient proverbs; did he really need to stubbornly resist?
When it comes to running, Pang Yu is undoubtedly a master.
He won the 10,000-meter championship in his previous life, and in this life, he inherited a great physique—nearly 1.9 meters tall, with long legs! If he really ran, who could catch him?
Yes, in terms of running, there are very few people faster than Pang Yu these days.
But he knows light-body techniques!
Two flips, just two, at least five assassins were in front of him in the blink of an eye, then in another flash, they were two zhang away, blocking all possible escape routes.
One pair… eighteen… twenty-one… twenty-four… twenty-seven… thirty!!!
In just five and a half seconds, Pang Yu swiftly counted the number of assassins he was facing.
Then, for the next twenty-four seconds and thirty-seven seconds, his mind went completely blank.
In half a minute, a full thirty assassins surrounded him, layer upon layer, leaving him no escape. "
Damn it, Zhao Yunbi... he
's really overestimating me!" Leaving aside the numbers, just the sheer agility of those assassins—"two somersaults to catch up with him"—was enough for Pang Yu to know that these assassins were nowhere near the level of the three idiots he'd tricked into killing each other with a few words.
Sending thirty such assassins to ambush him on the road, and this was the second batch!
Zhao Yunbi really didn't want him to live!
If Pang Yu could still escape at this point, he'd be a god.
Was Pang Yu a god? No!
So he couldn't escape.
And if he couldn't escape, he'd get stabbed.
At the thirty-first second, four men above him, four knives whistling from all four directions, aimed at his neck, chest, abdomen, and knees.
If the cut landed squarely, Pang Si, the loyal and diligent servant of the Grand Tutor's mansion , would instantly be cut into four pieces . "
Aa ... Yes, each of their bodies was ripped open from the spot where the bloodstains appeared, blood splattering everywhere! Whichever part of Pang Yu's body the four assassins slashed, they themselves were sliced in two! At this moment, this scene was, of course, a savior had arrived!!! Using their own methods against them, the vicious attacks the assassins had inflicted on Pang Yu were reversed and returned to them. Pang Yu had always been very proud of his eyesight—a level of sharpness that made the entire nation envious—but this time, he hadn't even seen a shadow of them before all four assassins inexplicably fell! Not only was Pang Yu dumbfounded, but the remaining assassins were also completely stunned. Without a trace, four men were killed in a flash. Where in the world could there be such superior martial arts?! There was! A crescent moon hung high in the starry sky, its afterglow illuminating a graceful figure. Standing atop a large tree less than two feet behind Pang Yu was a graceful, veiled woman. Her tight-fitting night clothes were made of pure white Suzhou embroidery, with brocade patterns and silver trim. The elastic material clung to her body, highlighting her slender waist and revealing her ample breasts and hips. The fitted trousers accentuated her perfect S-curve, captivating anyone who looked at her. But this "allure" was unlike any other; it was a pure, natural, and unparalleled beauty, like a lotus emerging from clear water, unadorned and untouched by artifice. She was like a fairy descended from the deepest, darkest starry sky, her beauty exquisite, otherworldly, and utterly untouched by worldly concerns. Amidst the swirling winds of the tall trees, the veiled woman gracefully stood still. Instantly, a rich, pure fragrance enveloped the area, transforming the previously tense and murderous space into a serene and enchanting realm, both real and dreamlike, utterly captivating. Beneath the thin, icy veil covering her face, a pair of clear, beautiful eyes gleamed faintly. Her slender, jade-like hands gripped a silver-white longsword, its tip like untouched ice, unblemished by dust or blood. The matching tassel fluttered in the evening breeze, like a shimmering silver wave. "You...who are you?" one of the assassins asked in surprise.

"Just like you, killers." A mocking smile rose from beneath the veil, as if looking at a flock of lambs to the slaughter, her cold eyes filled with disapproval and scorn.
"Kill her!"
True to their professional-level skills, the leader issued the order in a split second, showing no mercy. With a wave of his hand, five assassins leaped up simultaneously, charging towards her like arrows. Five knives, five men, wielding no fancy moves, slashed down with the force of a tiger pouncing, heavy with power!
The masked woman didn't move. With a flick of her wrist, her sword straightened, its blade flashing and shifting, unpredictable, like shooting stars, like a hundred flowers blooming, scattering points of sword light across the sky, dazzling as stars.
Pang Yu only saw a flash before his eyes, not even seeing her retract her attack, and all five assassins fell to the ground.
The sword, still bloodless.
The assassin leader was taken aback, giving a signal to stop the group, and shouted, "How dare you! You dare interfere in the affairs of the Prince's mansion! Get out of the way..."
"First, use force. If you can't beat them, then bring out little Zhao Yunbi to intimidate them." The masked woman glanced at him with her phoenix eyes full of contempt, and a mocking smile curled her lips behind the thin veil.
"Girl, run! You're just a commoner, you can't afford to offend the Prince of Beihai!" Pang Yu shouted, jumping up and down, his purpose being to add fuel to the fire. He knew that the masked woman was arrogant and didn't take Zhao Yunbi seriously, and the more he said that, the more provoked her to act—hurry up and kill him, sister, it's not a good feeling to have twenty-odd knives surrounding me!
"Hmph, him?" The masked woman sneered, and with a light touch of her toes, she leaped into the air and soared down from the top of a tree seven or eight zhang high, her swaying figure drawing an alluring curve in the air.
"Kill her!" the assassin leader roared. Seven men from the vicinity of the tree simultaneously lunged forward, seven gleaming longswords flashing through the air, forming a dense array of blades—clearly a well-trained combined attack. The
graceful white figure, seeing no escape, suddenly spun around, her raised sword tracing an exquisitely elegant arc in the darkness. The sword light seemed to vanish into thin air, flowing like a torrent, a single strike aimed at seven different points!
Pang Yu didn't see what happened next. He only saw the figures crisscross, and the masked woman somehow emerged from the array of blades. The moment her delicate feet touched the ground, seven swords clattered to the ground. The owners of the seven swords—the assassins who had attacked her—stood frozen like wooden stakes, and then…
like dominoes, starting from the first one on the east side, one after another, they all tumbled to the ground, unable to even move, let alone scream.
Seven men, gone in an instant.
Pang Yu's eyes widened in disbelief!
Good heavens, this masked girl…
her figure was simply stunning.
Less than two meters away, the masked woman possessed a captivating, slender, and exquisitely beautiful body, her legs long and slender, giving her an air of haughty elegance. Her thick, black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, making her fair skin appear slightly bluish.
A half-moon hung in the night sky above her face, bathing her in its gentle light, further emphasizing her slender waist and breathtaking figure. It seemed to surpass even the legendary goddesses residing in the Luo River. The assassins were instantly stunned by her unparalleled beauty, almost forgetting their purpose for being there.
"Fairy Sister!" Pang Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he almost blurted it out.
If this beauty were Wang Yuyan, he wouldn't mind playing Duan Yu for a moment, truly.
"At the bottom of the dry well, in the mud, if it were me, I'd just knock it down. What's the rush to get out
?" "Attack side by side!" the assassin leader shouted, and Pang Yu finally remembered his perilous situation.
Undoubtedly, the masked woman had come to rescue him, but he'd never seen this fairy-like woman before!
If he hadn't seen her, he didn't know her; if he didn't know her, why had she come to save him?
Pang Yu was bewildered, his eyes fixed on the fairy-like woman—gratitude should be repaid, he needed to recognize who had saved him so he could repay the debt in the future.
A shower of silvery light poured down, like water, like a curtain, like a dream, making her appear even more like an ethereal fairy descended from heaven. A glimpse of her fair skin was faintly visible through the thin, icy gauze that concealed her face; it was more like white jade than snow, its smooth, delicate skin no less exquisite than a veil of silk.
The tight-fitting, pure white night-clothes accentuated her exquisite figure, revealing the perfect curves of her wasp waist, ample breasts, and shapely hips. Despite not revealing a single inch of her underwear, she exuded an unparalleled, captivating charm, utterly alluring, yet simultaneously possessing an aura of sacred inviolability, as if even a glance would be a sin.
These contradictory qualities coexisted within her!
Just by looking, Pang Yu couldn't guess who this fairy-like beauty who had suddenly appeared to save his life was.
However, he was confident that a touch would give him a deeper understanding of the beauty
—if he had seen her before, he would surely remember.
"Fairy-like beauty, be careful!" Seeing the assassins about to swarm him, out of concern for his savior, Pang Yu cried out, rushing forward to shield the beauty from their attacks. Suddenly, his foot slipped, and he completely lost his balance, his arms outstretched as he was caught in a back grab.
The fairy-like woman scoffed, whether she had seen through his ill intentions or simply didn't care about the numerous assassins around her, she lightly touched the ground with her
lotus feet, stepping onto the fallen willow leaves. Pang Yu only saw a flash of white before his eyes; the fairy-like woman's slender and beautiful figure was still vaguely in front of him, yet her body had already brushed past his shoulder. Her robes fluttered, as if she had transformed into an ethereal fairy in the clouds, and a small section of her smooth, rounded ankle was exposed beneath her trousers, untouched by the dust of the mortal world! At the same time, he smelled the sweet fragrance of osmanthus, subtle yet lingering, a fragrance he seemed to have smelled somewhere not long ago, but he couldn't remember where. His
"rescue" attempt failed, Pang Yu sighed in regret—how could he, a dignified man, strong and powerful, let a girl, a beautiful girl, fight alone! There
were originally thirty assassins; after the fairy-like woman killed sixteen in the first, second, and third rounds, there were now fourteen left—no, he counted, three more had fallen to her sword!
The fairy-like woman flicked her wrist, and the sword hummed, emitting a moonlit glow. Her gossamer sleeves loosened slightly, revealing half of her slender, crane-like arms. Her skin was as white as snow, as tender as fresh lychees, smooth as if powdered, and her curves as rounded as water, making one involuntarily imagine the wonderful feeling of him undressing her.
—Of course, this was what Pang Yu saw.
But in the eyes of the assassins, the masked woman's sword-wielding revealed only murderous intent!
They were well-trained assassins, and their strategy of overwhelming the enemy was to encircle and annihilate them. However, every time the encirclement was about to be complete, the masked woman would transform into a feather, her exquisite lightness skill, like walking on water, suddenly darting out from between the flashing blades, accompanied by the resounding fall of three or five men.
The assassin leader shouted repeatedly, directing his dwindling numbers of men to press forward relentlessly. The masked woman dodged the slashes of three broadswords—left, center, and right—her footwork agile and unpredictable, seemingly oblivious to the encirclement. She easily escaped the onslaught of palm strikes and fists, and in her leaps, she stabbed three more men with her sword, blood gushing from their wounds as they collapsed.
Eleven, nineteen, eight, seven, six, five… In the blink of an eye, only four assassins remained, standing in a half-circle, stunned and speechless, too afraid to advance!
“Kill her, and the Prince will reward you handsomely!” the assassin leader urged several times, but none of the four dared to move.
“A promotion of three ranks, a thousand strings of cash!” His orders were useless; the assassin leader offered the reward, and in his anger, he drew his sword, his clenched eyes flashing with a sharp light. A
great reward always attracts brave men; with a shout, the four men unleashed their best skills and charged forward together.
The masked woman chuckled softly, a slight smile playing on her lips hidden behind a thin veil, exuding an air of leisurely elegance and graceful movement that was pleasing to the eye. She seemed completely unconcerned about the life-or-death battle before her. The four assassins only saw a blur before the masked woman had already passed them, their fierce attacks proving utterly ineffective in intercepting her. "
To capture the thief, first capture the leader," the masked woman clearly intended, aiming to take down the assassin leader. Her figure blurred and shifted, instantly closing the distance to within two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters).
The assassin leader, already terrified, dared not block her, hastily abandoning his sword and retreating.
The masked woman, however, was not about to let him go. With a sharp cry, she pressed on even faster, closing the gap by another zhang.
At nine feet eighty-three inches, the distance between them was now only about six and a half feet between their swords. Pang Yu thought the assassin leader's head would roll in the next second, but suddenly, his robes billowed, and countless hidden weapons flashed from his sleeves.
The masked woman tried to dodge, but it was too late; one of the hidden darts pierced her chest!
The archer in the building, just as he was overjoyed, suddenly sensed something was wrong.
The hidden dart that struck the masked woman passed by silently, without harming her in the slightest. Instead, it, along with the other hidden weapons fired, riddled the last four assassins who had rushed back to attack from both sides.
A phantom, it hit a phantom!
As the phantom dissipated, the assassin leader suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He turned around in surprise, only to see a shimmering light held in his hand, the chill penetrating to his very core!
The assassin leader was filled with shock and anger, and he cried out, "You...you..." Suddenly, he couldn't catch his breath. The energy contained in the sword's blade had poured into his neck meridians, taking a moment to fully manifest. His face turned ashen, and he collapsed, trembling.
Thirty assassins, two minutes, not a single move more, all seconds!
Pang Yu stared blankly, speechless with astonishment.
A master is extremely rare; a beautiful woman is even rarer; someone who is both a master and a beautiful woman… it's not just a matter of rarity, but rather, perhaps not even one in an entire era—twenty or thirty years…
Fortunately, this era has one, and it's right before our eyes!
Oh my god, I'm so lucky!
"Fairy Sister, you're amazing! You took care of all those assassins in one go!" He ran over excitedly, his eyes shining—not the kind of admiration, but the natural reaction of any man seeing a beautiful woman.
Looking at the fawning Pang Yu, Fairy Sister's delicate eyebrows twitched, but she remained silent.
She stood quietly under a large tree, her graceful figure defying description. The bright moonlight poured down, illuminating her outward-facing side, while the side facing Pang Yu was shrouded in darkness. The interplay of light and shadow infinitely emphasized Fairy Sister's perfect, captivating curves, creating a breathtaking picture of a beautiful woman and gentle moonlight blending into one, as beautiful and moving as Chang'e in the moon palace.
My God, could this really be a fairy descended from heaven! Beautiful, absolutely stunning, unbelievably beautiful.
Even Pang Yu, who was used to seeing beautiful women, felt instantly ashamed in this environment (not in front of a screen) and atmosphere (not watching a movie) compared to this fairy-like beauty.
However, having been "observing" such beauty for so long, he quickly snapped back to reality after a brief moment of daze.
A beauty? The only value of a beautiful woman in this world is to be paired with a hero!
This fairy sister is destined to be pushed around by me!!!
"They're not assassins, they're guards from the Prince's mansion." The fairy sister turned her delicate body, her gaze thoughtfully fixed on the northwest corner. A warm, sweet fragrance wafted out with each step, making Pang Yu's chest heave a sigh of relief, his mind wandering.
"Wh...what! The Prince's mansion!" His face changed drastically, his shock completely unexpected.
"Fairy Sister, save me!" Pang Yu cried out, rushing forward and grabbing at the Fairy Sister's sleeve. "I'm just a servant, powerless and weak, with no strength to even kill a chicken. If Zhao Yunbi sets his sights on me, how can I survive? Sister, good sister, you are a fairy descended to earth, with the heart of a bodhisattva, please save me, I beg you."
Seeing that she had caught him, the Fairy Sister lightly touched the ground with her slender feet, and in a flash, she was already more than ten feet away, her whole body seemingly shrouded in celestial aura. Her beautiful eyebrows were slightly raised. "Haven't I already saved you? What else do you want?"
Pang Yu was anxious and shamelessly moved closer again: "I've saved you this time, but what about next time? What will I do next time? Will I have to trouble you to come down from heaven again!"
How could the Fairy Sister not hear the implied praise in this sentence? Any other woman would have already laughed by now, but she was like a statue carved from white jade, her expression unmoved, her beautiful eyes as calm as still water.
"Then what do you want?"
"I think... Sister, why don't you stay by my side and protect me every day?" Pang Yu chuckled and shamelessly moved closer, saying, "A young man like me is not only handsome and dashing, but also has a touch of heroic spirit, plus a tall and imposing figure... Is there a better title than 'a dragon among men'? I'm not bragging, but how many young girls in Bianliang City beg the gatekeepers to let them into the Grand Tutor's mansion just to see me? Sister, staying by my side for twelve hours a day is truly a testament to your innate beauty, unparalleled charm, and peerless martial arts skills..."
The fairy sister glanced at him, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Pang Yu immediately changed his tune: "Actually... sigh, I'm an honest man. I always think of repaying kindness. Sister, you saved me from that lecherous thief—no, from that assassin's blade! I have no way to repay this kindness, only... sigh, only by offering myself in gratitude!" Shame? It doesn't exist in Fourth Brother's dictionary!
With a "whoosh," something flew past Pang Yu's head. A large tree behind him, as thick as a person's waist, trembled twice, and then... split in two! The clean cut was even smoother than a saw cut.
The fairy-like sister's clear eyes suddenly turned icy cold, as if a pure snow lotus had been frozen solid. Just one glance from her sent chills down one's spine.
No way, this... this is the legendary... despicable sword energy!?
Pang Yu was slightly surprised, his gaze naturally shifting downwards...
Don't curse, please don't curse! Fourth Brother is a pure lecher; he would never stoop to such a sordid act.
Oh my god, what beautiful hands!
Someone's saliva dripped.
Her ten fingers were slender, long, and fair, with nails as translucent as jade, tinged with a faint, soft, orange-red. It would be a waste not to use them for playing the zither or harp! Of course, playing the flute would be even better!!! But now she was using them to wield a sword, and with such ruthless cruelty, instantly killing thirty people and even slicing a tree in mid-air with sword energy!
"Sister, how could you do this? A towering ancient tree had finally grown from a tiny bud, and you...you cut it down! This pollutes the environment and destroys the ecosystem, don't you understand? Sigh, sigh, what if it hit a child? Even if it didn't hit a child, hitting the flowers and plants is wrong too!" The fairy-like sister looked at him, her face as calm as water, but a hint of anger flickered between her brows: "You can't call me 'sister' like
that." "Yes, yes," Pang Yu actually admitted his mistake.
"Sister, tell me your name, it'll be easier to address you that way." "
Unexpectedly, the fairy sister didn't strike him with her sword, saying calmly, 'No need, we have no chance to meet again.'
'Why? Why is this happening?' Pang Yu was agitated, rushing to her with the mournful expression of a bewildered young man who had been deceived.
The fairy sister's jade-like face remained calm and serene, staring at him for a long while without any fluctuation, before coldly uttering, 'Someone will protect you from now on.' Her beautiful hair fluttered in the night wind, free and unrestrained, light and graceful, breathtakingly beautiful. Her ethereal beauty could only be described as 'extraordinary and otherworldly.'"
Pang Yu desperately wanted to hug her, but reason told him that doing so would almost certainly make him worse off than the tree (like… a eunuch). He coughed twice, regaining his gentlemanly demeanor, and asked, “Who is it? Is she also a peerless beauty like you, sister?”
The fairy sister didn’t answer him; her celestial form suddenly vanished.
By the time Pang Yu reacted, the beauty was gone, leaving only a silver streak across the starry night sky. “Whoosh—” With the sound of her flowing robes, she swept across the sky, leaving a trail of pale, narrow white light behind her, like a shooting star, traversing dozens of feet in an instant before shrinking into a tiny white dot in the distance.
Good heavens! Is this…is this a person? Or a celestial being descending from the heavens?!
Pang Yu’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Although he knew in his heart that the fairy sister couldn’t possibly be a true celestial being, how could a mortal possess such the ability to soar through the air and cover thousands of miles in an instant!
Sigh, it seems you can’t truly understand without touching her yourself.
Pang Yu scratched his head, thinking to himself.
"Pah! I don't care if you're human or god, if I've got my eye on
someone, I'll take them!" "Your protector is in the prison van—" The fairy-like woman's voice drifted from afar, echoing in the silent night sky. Looking up, even that shimmering white had vanished.
What the hell? A prison van?!
Pang Yu stood frozen in place.

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