Chapter 1564 – Attack on Nie Liang, Charge Against Yang Tao, Aiming for Dominance (102)
It was already late night, and the Qiu residence was engulfed in silence, with only the yawning House Servants on their patrols keeping watch.
Suddenly, with a loud crash, the front door was violently forced open, startling the Doorkeeper who was on duty.
“Who are you? Who allowed you to trespass? Help! There are intruders here!”
The Doorkeeper was a thin, middle-aged man with sunken eyes and deep bags under his eyes, looking completely devoid of vitality.
As the leading Centurion sent his men racing into the Qiu residence, the Doorkeeper tried to put on a brave face to stop them but was kicked aside by the Centurion without any hesitation.
“Remember! Not a single soul in the Qiu residence is to escape. Let one get away, and you’ll bear the consequences yourselves!” the Centurion ordered.
This was a strict command from above, so they had no choice but to take it seriously, ignoring the Doorkeeper’s cries for help as they charged further inside.
The Doorkeeper’s alarm did attract some attention; the patrolling House Servants rushed to investigate the ruckus, only to be swiftly captured.
The Soldiers enforced their duties with force, causing a ruckus that roused several deep sleepers.
Although the Old Master Qiu was quite aged, he still maintained a fondness for beautiful women, always keeping a young wife by his side, looking no older than seventeen or eighteen. Upon hearing the commotion outside, she shook the old man awake but was met with a furious rebuke.
“What’s all this noise in the middle of the night? What do you think you’re doing?”
The Old Master Qiu was enraged; anyone who disturbed him faced his wrath, sometimes even meeting a fate worse than death at the tip of his Whip.
This new wife, confused by the uproar and terrified, was trembling with anxiety.
“Uh, uh, Old Patriarch, it seems there are vicious guests breaking in outside…”
With a fuming demeanor, the Old Master Qiu sprang up, hastily throwing on his outer robe and kicking the woman in the chest in the process.
Despite his old age, he still had some strength in his legs, nearly knocking her unconscious.
“Useless!”
As he flung open the front door, several Soldiers in neatly arranged leather armor blocked his way, posturing as if to capture him.
Having never seen such a display before, the Old Master Qiu was immediately chilled to the bone, fury boiling within him.
“Who are you? This is under the jurisdiction of Lan Ting! You bandits dare to act so recklessly here?”
The Soldiers exchanged glances, unable to stifle their mockery. “What a joke! Get him! Don’t let the old man escape!”
Inside the room, not only was there the Old Master, but also a stunningly beautiful young lady.
Seeing the old man’s disheveled attire alongside the young woman’s looks, they couldn’t help but scoff in unison.
At his age, and still so lecherous, disgracing a girl young enough to be his granddaughter—how shameless!
With his hands twisted painfully behind his back, the Old Master Qiu shouted loudly, mostly empty threats, trying to wield control through the name of Jiang Pengji. The Soldiers found his cries unbearable, and one clever soldier glanced around, spotting a discarded pair of azure underpants on the Old Master’s bed. He grabbed it, crumpled it up, and stuffed it into the Old Master’s mouth.
“At last, he’s quieted down! Nearly deafened us!”
The captured young woman couldn’t help but feel a mix of fear and helplessness at the sight.
In his youth, the Old Master Qiu had indulged in more than a few indiscretions, resulting in embarrassing ailments that left him unable to control himself in his old age.
Those azure underpants were what he had changed out of after they got wet. This woman was bought to warm his bed and help him change into clean ones to prevent a major outburst the next day when he woke up.
Now, to have them stuffed into his mouth was truly…
Tsk tsk!
Not only the Old Master but also his son, Qiu Meng, wasn’t faring any better.
When the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam is also skewed. The Old Master had an obsession with beauty, and Qiu Meng was similarly unable to be apart from women for even a day.
Qiu Meng thought he had done a great service to Yang Tao, confident he would rise to high ranks without a hitch. Overcome by excitement, he got a little too carried away with his concubine, spending half the night fooling around, only to be rudely awakened when the Soldiers burst in.
“What on earth is all this racket outside?”
He nudged his concubine to check it out while he tried to get back to sleep.
The concubine complied but was startled by the rifled Soldiers, letting out a high-pitched scream.
At her scream, Qiu Meng lost all trace of sleep, grabbing whatever was nearby and throwing it to the floor. “In the middle of the night, are you trying to get killed or what?”
Before long, he heard heavy footsteps approaching rapidly.
“Who are you?”
Unlike his father, the Old Master Qiu, who was oblivious to everything, Qiu Meng quickly recognized the Soldiers.
“Those sent to capture you. Don’t resist, or we’ll be forced to kill you on the spot. Just cooperate, and don’t make things difficult for us.”
While they spoke courteously, their actions could not be gentler.
Before Qiu Meng even realized what was happening, he was bound and dragged out of the room.
“Why are you capturing me?” he demanded.
The Soldiers replied, “We’re following orders.”
“Orders?”
Qiu Meng’s face turned pale as he quickly grasped the key detail, his legs turning to jelly.
Could it be…
He nervously swallowed, was it possible that his secret dealings with Yang Tao had been uncovered?
If so, wasn’t his life in jeopardy?
He thought of the Zhao Family, who had been wiped out, and his legs turned even softer; had the Soldiers not been holding him up, he surely would have fallen over. The Soldiers were indeed following orders, stating no living person was to escape; they even captured the two old hens kept in the kitchen, binding their wings and bringing them along.
Seeing this, the Centurion couldn’t help but facepalm.
Were these Soldiers really that clueless?
“All of these are to be thrown into the dungeon, awaiting the General and Military Adviser’s return for an interrogation.”
Not one to believe so easily, Qiu Meng shouted, “You have no proof! Why are you framing us?”
With one hand resting on his sword, the Centurion glared fiercely, sending a chill down Qiu Meng’s spine.
However, the Centurion turned out to be a cultured man, calmly remarking, “If one wants others not to know, one should refrain from doing it oneself. Perhaps you should reflect on that.”
Qiu Meng’s face drained of color, and the Old Master Qiu sat there frozen in fear, even losing control of himself in the process.
The Soldiers looked on with cold laughter. “A truly promising father-son duo.”
Everyone in the Qiu residence ended up locked away in the dungeon. The previously empty cells were suddenly filled to the brim, complete with a noisy background score.
Qiu Meng and the Old Master were placed in the same cell.
“Could there have been a leak somewhere?” Qiu Meng pondered, trying to calm his racing heart, unsure whether he was comforting his father or himself.
“Father, don’t panic. If Yang Tao wins, they can’t touch us!”
The Old Master Qiu appeared haggard and bedraggled, but for now, he had to trust his younger son.
“Let’s hope so!”
