usatvline Chapter 46 You Need Power to Get By
Chapter 46 You Need Power to Get By
As soon as he stepped into the hall, the little eunuch saw his younger brother bustling around serving tea and water. He looked exhausted, and his eyes drooped with fatigue.
The young eunuch felt a pang of pain in his heart, forgetting Zhang Laifu's instructions: "Little Tiger!"
As Xiao Hu was refilling a guest's tea, he subconsciously turned his head, and the boiling water from the copper kettle was poured onto the guest's hand.
The customer cried out in pain, "Ouch!" and jumped up, yelling, "Are you blind?!"
He slapped Little Tiger across the face.
Little Tiger, being young, stumbled and fell to the ground, the copper kettle in his hand flying out of his grasp. The scalding hot water splashed everywhere, and all the guests sitting around were affected. In an instant, cries of pain and screams rose and fell, and the entire hall was thrown into chaos.
The commotion quickly alerted the manager behind the counter.
As soon as the steward stepped out of the counter, he immediately saw the young eunuch who had taken off his straw hat and rushed forward to help Xiao Hu, as well as Zhang Laifu who was a step behind.
The person in charge felt a chill run down their spine and turned to run to the backyard.
Zhang Laifu spotted him: "Don't let him get away!"
The two Imperial Guards following behind immediately pounced on him.
The foreman yelled at the top of his lungs, "Run! Soldiers are coming!"
This shout caused a moment of silence in the hall, which was immediately followed by an uproar.
Those with guilty consciences, fearing trouble, rushed towards the door in a frenzy, fleeing the place.
Zhang Laifu felt like strangling the eunuch, but he couldn't care less about him. He glanced at the steward pinned to the ground, then leaped through the window into the courtyard, shouting to the Imperial Guards rushing in from outside, "Send the signal!"
The Jinyiwei, who were already prepared, immediately pulled out a signal from a brown paper tube at their waist, and lit the fuse by shaking a tinderbox.
With a whoosh, the signal shot straight into the night sky, followed by a bang that exploded, releasing a dazzling burst of light.
Zhang Laifu kicked a customer who was hurriedly squeezing out of the hall, knocking him to the ground, and shouted sternly, "The Northern Garrison is handling a case! Everyone, squat down against the wall, no running around!"
People are inherently skeptical and prone to wishful thinking. With so many people rushing out together, the Imperial Guards might not be able to stop them.
Seeing the crowd still surging out in chaos, Zhang Laifu got angry. He kicked one person, sending him flying, then grabbed another and slammed him into the crowd, knocking down a large number of people.
At this moment, another group of people rushed out of the hall. Zhang Laifu strode forward, grabbed one in each hand like a chick, and slammed them all to the ground, shouting loudly, "Stop right there! Squat down against the wall!"
As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed a man by the collar, intending to throw him backward to the ground, but his wrist was instead firmly held by the other man.
It was Liu Xianglian, but Zhang Laifu didn't recognize him. He raised his hand and punched Liu Xianglian straight in the face.
With quick reflexes, Liu Xianglian twisted her wrist sharply, deftly deflecting Zhang Laifu's straight punch and sidestepping the attack.
Zhang Laifu was taken aback at first, then threw another punch, which missed again. He immediately lowered his waist and stepped forward, unleashing a series of punches and kicks, each move fierce and ruthless, carrying the hard skills of a border soldier, the wind from his punches whistling.
Liu Xianglian was steady and agile, never engaging in a direct confrontation with Zhang Laifu's brute force. He always managed to avoid vital points with his nimble movements. Seizing the opportunity when Zhang Laifu's moves were weakened by the exhaustion of his old strength and the lack of new strength, Liu Xianglian suddenly moved to the side and lunged forward, lightly striking Zhang Laifu's ribs with his elbow, followed by a tripping kick.
Zhang Laifu lost his balance and staggered forward. Liu Xianglian seized the opportunity to grab his shoulder and press him down. With a muffled groan, Zhang Laifu was pinned to the ground and unable to move.
"How dare you!"
"presumptuous!"
Two imperial guards rushed forward with knives, and the surrounding guests scattered in fear.
Seeing this, Liu Xianglian hurriedly let go, pushed Qi Guan behind him aside, and rolled away to avoid the two blades that came slashing at him.
Two Imperial Guards rushed forward again and launched a fierce attack. Liu Xianglian was forced to the point of no return, so he drew his soft sword from his waist and they engaged in a fierce battle.
The difference in skill between the two sides was vast. In just a few rounds, the knives in the hands of the two Imperial Guards were knocked away, and they were kicked to the ground one after another.
Fortunately, Liu Xianglian did not use excessive force, stopping short of serious injury.
Just then, a shout of battle suddenly rang out from the backyard, and the clanging of armor echoed from outside the gate. Immediately following, a squad of fully armed Imperial Guards rushed in, with swordsmen and shieldmen in the front, crossbowmen in the middle, and spearmen close behind.
Seeing the reinforcements arrive, Zhang Laifu, who had just gotten up from the ground, pointed at Liu Xianglian and shouted, "Take him down!"
Liu Xianglian had a weapon in his hand, and the crossbowman raised his hand and fired an arrow. Two swordsmen and shieldmen rushed forward quickly.
"Clang clang clang—"
Liu Xianglian wielded his soft sword with impenetrable skill, deflecting each incoming crossbow bolt. But before he could even catch his breath, two shields slammed into him, sending him flying into the air before crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
In his horrified gaze, two spears thrust toward his chest. In desperation, he somehow mustered a burst of strength, rolled over, and barely dodged them.
The two spears plunged deep into the soil.
"Stop! He's a member of the Duke of Li's family!"
A pleasant voice suddenly rang out. Zhang Laifu turned around and saw that it was Qi Guan, who had just been pushed away by Liu Xianglian.
Zhang Laifu remained silent, but the offensive continued unabated.
The attacks of the other two spearmen arrived, completely blocking Liu Xianglian's escape routes. No matter which way he rolled, he would be stabbed.
Qi Guan panicked: "I am from the Prince Zhongshun's residence!"
Zhang Laifu then spoke up: "Wait!"
It was too late. With a soft "thud," the spear pierced Liu Xianglian's body.
Fortunately, Liu Xianglian was eager to win and rolled a little further to the side with his remaining strength. In addition, the spearman subconsciously veered off course upon hearing the sound, and the spear ended up piercing his shoulder, so it was a close call.
The shouts of battle in the backyard stopped sometime ago, and footsteps came from the hall. A moment later, Liu Feng slowly walked out.
The Eight Great Hutongs had already been sealed off, and the moment the signal shot into the sky, the Imperial Guards lying in ambush on all sides immediately swarmed in, completely surrounding the theater.
The Tartars who tried to escape through the back door were immediately surrounded and captured by the Jinyiwei, who had the advantage in numbers and equipment.
Upon seeing Liu Feng arrive, Zhang Laifu quickly stepped forward, whispered a few words, and then pointed at Liu Xianglian and Qi Guan.
Liu Feng glanced at the injured Liu Xianglian without saying a word. His gaze then turned to Qi Guan, and he paused slightly, recalling the poem: "Two rabbits run side by side; how can one tell which is male and which is female?"
Understanding that Liu Feng was the leader, Qi Guan walked over and bowed, saying, "My lord, I am Qi Guan from the Prince Zhongshun's Mansion, and this is Liu Xianglian, the Second Master of the Duke of Liguo's Mansion. We are by no means bad people."
Qi Guan?
Liu Feng looked her over carefully. No wonder she had captivated Da Lianbao so much that she had even given him her belt. Her looks and figure were something most women would envy and feel ashamed of.
Fearing that he might implicate Liu Feng and cause him trouble, Zhang Laifu hurriedly said, "Sir, I will personally escort him back and apologize in person..."
Liu Feng raised his hand: "Treat the wound, and notify both families to come and pick up the person tomorrow."
Knowing Liu Feng's temperament and understanding that he was protecting him, Zhang Laifu bowed respectfully and responded loudly.
Liu Feng always remembered a movie line he had heard before: "To survive in this world, you need influence." He understood that no matter how capable a person was, he couldn't control the situation alone. He needed his own group and influence. In other words, influence meant having loyal followers.
Even if he had no connection or interests with the Prince of Zhongshun's Mansion or the Duke of Liguo's Mansion, he would still have to stand on Zhang Laifu's side.
The hearts of your subordinates are the foundation of your position; you must never destroy your own foundation.
Just then, Wang Daniu rushed over, his face beaming with excitement: "Sir, we've struck it rich!"
Liu Feng glared at him and said, "Verify the identities of these people one by one. If even one suspect escapes, I'll break your legs." He then turned and went to the backyard.
Wang Daniu looked miserable.
Zhang Laifu said with a smug grin, "Serves you right for being so careless with your mouth!"
Wang Daniu glared at him fiercely, then angrily kicked a nearby customer, shouting menacingly, "Tell me the truth, what do you do? If you dare utter a single lie, I'll break your legs!"
Zhang Laifu smiled and shook his head, then turned to the Imperial Guards behind him and said, "Go find a doctor."