Chapter 61: Don't Play Hide and Seek at Night

  Qin Lei returned to his room, lay on the bed with his eyes closed, and meditated. Today's physical punishment still had some impact on his condition. He knew that although the crown prince appeared weak and harmless on the surface, he had been sitting on the volcano of being the heir to the throne for five years. Even if his heart was originally as pure as white paper, it would have long been scorched by the raging flames beneath him, with a thousand holes and ten thousand ravines.

  There has never been a simple-minded crown prince. He wouldn't truly consider Qin Lei as his right-hand man just because of their close relationship, he must carefully weigh his worth first.

  Qin Lei recalled the performance of the Crown Prince in the imperial palace today, and nailed himself to the opposing side of the Taifu Fu, Da Huangzi, and Gui Fei's line, and had no choice but to defect to the East Palace early.

  Qin Lei felt depressed, he had originally planned to remain neutral and low-key, hiding his strength and slowly developing it. He wanted to have a say in the future. But now, by taking sides so early, he had undoubtedly pushed himself to the forefront of the struggle for the throne, from then on becoming a thorn in the side of Old Master Li and the eldest prince. What was the point of hiding his strength now?

  Compared with those who grew up in the dye vat and became muddled, I am still as pure as a country bumpkin like Erwa.

  So today's outburst after entering the door, half true and half false, one half is indeed some slack guards who are very spirited, and the other half is also really depressed in their hearts, borrowing the topic to make a fuss.

  At this moment, I thought of the little fatty who had deliberately made friends with me in order to get close to the Taiwei Mansion. A sigh rose up in my heart as I thought about how fate plays tricks on people. Then, I got up and checked my equipment once, confirming that everything was ready. After that, I sat quietly in the Taishi chair, waiting for the midnight visitor.

  Outside, Shen Qing was in charge. On the way back today, the two had already discussed and agreed on everything, and he was very confident in Shen Qing's ability to execute. This young man was meticulous and thoughtful, and had learned Qin Lei's protection and defensive skills inside out.

  Qin Lei gazed at the hourglass on his bedside table, as time silently flowed away with the sand. Gradually, except for the sound of the night wind rustling through the leaves, all around was quiet.

  The hourglass in Qin Lei's room was a product of Neifu, with each flow of light representing one hour, accurate to the extreme, and the error could almost be ignored.

  When the last grain of sand fell from the small hole and disappeared into the short pile below, a nightingale's cry suddenly echoed in the west garden. Qin Lei thought: "It's here."

  The nightingale has basically become extinct in Daqin. This is the warning signal agreed upon by Qin Lei and them.

  At this time, nightingales began to sing from the east, south and north of the courtyard. The enemy actually came from all sides.

  Or surround and come over.

  Because of the agreement between the two brothers, Qin Lei couldn't dodge. Just like the opponent couldn't choose the time to attack.

  It's an arm-wrestling match, let's see who's stronger.

  Of course, he hid in the small building at will.

  Qin Lei calmly waved his hand and extinguished the torches. He picked up his sword and disappeared into the darkness.

  ~~~~~~~~

  The assassins threw out their lassos, which landed on the flying eaves and painted corners, and then climbed up to the second and third floors. It seemed that this magnificent three-story building was filled with invaders from top to bottom, all around.

  Qin Lei, who was in a hidden location, received messages from various sources and secretly cursed. The Crown Prince had made his move, mobilizing as many as 200 men. He knew that on the one hand, this was the Crown Prince showing off his power, so he wouldn't be intimidated by the eldest prince's side. On the other hand, it was to pave the way for Qin Lei, so even if he lost, it would still be because of the overwhelming odds, and it could still be justified.

  Two hundred against twenty, no suspense at all. Even if Qin Lei led these two hundred people, he couldn't think of a better plan than to sweep the courtyard and dig holes. The opposing commander obviously thought so too.

  Although they were all clearing the courtyard, Qin Lei and the opposing commander had very different specific plans. So after understanding the situation, Qin Lei gave a thumbs up to the guards who were secretly watching him, indicating that the situation was optimistic, before disappearing into the darkness.

  The raid unfolded simultaneously from all sides, and almost all the windows on the entire floor were opened at the same time. Two hundred black-clad assassins entered the Shuxiang Pavilion in a breath. Then came the dragnet search.

  Shu Xiang Ge is where the East Palace stores its books, so apart from Qin Lei's daily living quarters, there are over a hundred rooms storing books distributed across three floors. Due to the storage of books, there are also ventilation openings between rooms.

  Qin Lei's boys hid in the hundreds of interconnected rooms. It was as if they had returned to a few months ago, in the Bai Li Da Shan of Qi Guo's Gan Zhou, where Qin Lei personally taught them how to hide and avoid detection, along with those endless strange exercises. Thinking back to that unforgettable period, their blood began to boil again, and on top of Qin Lei's pounding from tonight, they didn't forget to be cautious even in their excitement. It could be said that the boys had brought out their best state after entering the capital.

  In the dark of night, rows and rows of tall bookshelves stood inside the room, each nearly two zhang high, less than two chi away from the roof. The distance between the bookshelves was about six chi. These forests of knowledge, combined with ventilation openings everywhere, provided the best cover for the guards. So Qin Lei's bet with the crown prince today, although a sudden idea, was also based on his understanding of the terrain.

  The result was that although the dark-clad assassin and the similarly clad figure brushed past each other several times in the darkness, neither had any inkling.

  Two hundred invaders searched in the dark for half a time, but found nothing.

  The leader of the assassins in the first floor hall finally couldn't hold back, ordering his subordinates to light torches. Although this would expose their figures, it was more important to find people.

  Dozens of torches were lit, and the effect was indeed better. Occasionally, a figure could be seen in the darkness, but when rushing over, the shadow had already escaped through the ventilation window. By the time I rushed to the next room, the shadow had already run off somewhere.

  Shen Bing is Shen Qing's cousin and one of the nineteen members of the guard. Although he is older than Shen Qing, he has a lot of respect for this young second captain of the guard. So when Shen Qing handed him a route map and asked him to follow it, he did so without hesitation. Even if it meant putting himself in danger at any moment, sacrificing himself for the team didn't bother him one bit.

  Although it was just a drill, Shen Bing believed that even in real combat, he would sacrifice himself for that person without hesitation. This was also the common thought of the nineteen people.

  Because that person is worth it.

  So when a whistle sounded, Shen Bing suddenly stomped the ground and then quietly waited for the enemy to arrive. The whistle meant that the enemy had approached the area below the temple. His task was to lure the enemy over. He believed that his comrades nearby who could hear the sound were doing the same thing.

  Shen Bing's face was tense, and he clenched the rope in his hand. The words of the young master's speech still lingered in his mind, giving them enough tension.

  What Qin Lei actually wanted to tell them was that for a soldier, once on the battlefield, it's all about fighting. There is no distinction between acting and actual combat.

  It's no use, Qin Lei already knew that at this stage, talking to these people about a sense of honor or starting from actual combat is still too early, and it's far less effective than using intimidation and temptation. Fortunately, these people's minds are much simpler than those in that era, once they decide on something, they rarely change their minds.

  As the footsteps drew closer, Shen Bing climbed up the rope and swung onto the air vent in a few swift motions. This time his luck was somewhat bad, as there were also several torches moving on the other side of the air vent.

  The enemy had learned their lesson, and every time they entered the house, they would first control the ventilation opening and then slowly search. So if Shen Bing stayed at the ventilation opening for a while, he might be discovered. He saw that there was also someone on the opposite side, so he didn't hesitate anymore. He thought about the few optional routes that Shen Qing had given him. Then, with both hands grasping the rope, he used all his leg strength to push off from a bookshelf, and the huge force made the nearly two-meter-high bookshelf shake slightly, causing the books on it to fall down with a loud crash onto the tracker behind the bookshelf.

  Shen Bing took advantage of the momentum and swung to a bookshelf on the opposite side, which was located in the center of the house. The assassin below finally blocked one. Excitedly, they rushed up, supporting each other as they climbed up the layers of shelves. Shen Bing waited until they were halfway up, neither up nor down, before crouching and crawling to the top layer of the bookshelf. He threw the spear hook in his hand towards another bookshelf on the side.

  This grappling hook is two feet long, with four sturdy steel hooks in the middle. As long as there is a slight obstruction, it can be firmly hooked. Behind it is a ring, on which a thin rope mixed with silk is threaded, one end tied to the waist and the other hanging on a specially made copper sleeve guard. It can be launched from a strong crossbow or thrown by hand.

  Shen Bing's thrown grappling hook landed on the bookshelf across from him, and with a quick tug, it became tightly lodged. Seeing that he had already climbed up, Shen Bing jumped down from the bookshelf, simultaneously folding his arms in front of his chest and spinning inward like a wheel. The thin rope on the grappling hook quickly wrapped around the copper sleeves on his arms as they spun.

  As the rope tightened, his upper body was already lying on top of another bookshelf.

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