Chapter 1

The Lord of Xiling had no connection to glass, although he did harbor some personal intentions. Aside from his daughters who were already officially princesses, he also had an illegitimate daughter. This illegitimate daughter was already seventeen or eighteen years old, the age for marriage. The problem was whether marrying off an illegitimate daughter would be a good thing or not, which was a difficult issue. The status of the man she married couldn't be too high or too low. Too high, and the other princes and princesses would be unhappy; too low, and there would be no guarantee of a comfortable life for the illegitimate daughter in the future. His talent couldn't be too high or too low either. Too high, and he might become a high-ranking official, which would make his illegitimate daughter a target for attacks. Too low, and why would the daughter of the Lord of Xiling be married to a useless person? In any case, the Lord of Xiling had been quite worried about this matter recently. And then, after his conversation with Lu Zhen, the Lord of Xiling started thinking along those lines. If Lu Zhen's character and talent were indeed good, he figured that in three to five years, he would at least be a vice minister or a similar level official, a pillar of the court, which wouldn't be a disgrace to his illegitimate daughter. However, Lu Zhen had a wife, which was a troublesome matter... Although the Lord of Xiling found it troublesome, he didn't really want to force the issue. To him, it was just one of many things he needed to worry about recently, and not the most crucial one.

Ye Tao and his group, resting in the imperial villa, were quite happy. Zhou Rui, disguised as a servant, slipped out and returned without anyone noticing. When Zhou Rui quietly returned, he also happened to catch a fox in the forest. When he returned to the villa, he saw a large group of people gathered around a bonfire in the villa's training ground, listening to Ye Tao tell ghost stories...

Zhou Rui didn't know whether to laugh or cry. On one hand, he was plotting a daring "bandit" attack on the imperial villa, kidnapping noble scions for ransom, while on the other hand, his master was having a great time with these very people who might soon be held for ransom. And it wasn't just these noble scions, but even the surrounding guards and imperial soldiers were listening with rapt attention, their minds wandering far away. Although they knew it wasn't right, the imperial guard commander and the head of the guards responsible for the safety of the trip didn't say anything. In fact, they were listening even more intently themselves.

The commotion lasted until late at night, almost dawn. Ye Tao had a lot of ghost stories in his repertoire, all kinds of ghosts, scary and not scary, good ghosts and bad ghosts, male ghosts and female ghosts. He told stories all night long without repeating any of them. Zhou Rui and Liu Yong exchanged glances, and then understood that Ye Tao was using this method to set the stage and lay the groundwork, which couldn't hurt. After the bonfire party finally ended, everyone returned to their rooms and fell asleep. However, most of the timid young ladies asked their maids to stay with them in their rooms this time.

The next day, there was naturally no hunting or tea parties or painting sessions. Everyone slept soundly all night. The imperial soldiers didn't mind, since these young masters and misses weren't going out, their job was easy. But in the evening, when everyone's energy was at its peak, strange noises suddenly began to come from outside.

Zhu Long, the Left Commander of the Xiling Imperial Guards, was inspecting the soldiers and arranging shifts for sentry duty when he suddenly heard rustling sounds from outside, as if someone was gradually approaching the imperial villa. Zhu Long frowned and immediately ordered the soldiers to postpone their rest and conduct another round of patrols. The location of the imperial villa wasn't ideal, situated at the mouth of a mountain valley. Many years ago, this valley had been a thriving royal garden, but it was later destroyed by war. The pavilions and towers had slowly disappeared into the mountains and forests. Only the occasional white marble foundation could be seen, hinting at the splendor of the past. Back then, the semi-enclosed environment of this valley allowed a former emperor to enclose many rare birds and animals inside, transforming nature into nature, which was considered a marvel in the history of garden construction. Over the years, those birds and animals had reproduced and thrived in the valley, so densely populated in that large area. And the desolate atmosphere brought about by the ruins of the eroded buildings, along with the occasional inscribed stone tablets and markers, added to the adventurous charm, which was why this royal hunting ground had survived.

As for the imperial villa, located at the only exit of the valley, it was originally just the gate of the incredibly huge natural estate that bordered the valley. Back then, the founder of Xiling didn't have time to deal with the many birds and animals confined in the valley and hastily rebuilt the burnt-down gate. Later, successive emperors, who grew fond of this hunting ground, gradually renovated it into the strange building that could barely be called a "palace" today. But this imperial villa, if the emperor really came to hunt, with a large number of imperial guards stationed everywhere, would be safe and sound. But now, with only a few hundred soldiers, plus the guards whose strength was questionable, they couldn't spread out, and could only focus on defending the villa along with the servants and guards who originally resided there and were responsible for cleaning and managing it.

And what was the Special Operations Battalion? The allied forces cooperating with them were also powerful, and didn't really take the Xiling Imperial Guards seriously. By the time Zhu Long noticed the rustling sounds, most of the "bandits" had already been ambushed and in position.

After a day of careful preparation, this bandit team was dressed to perfection, with few flaws in their clothing and weapons. Most of the soldiers weren't wearing armor, but rather with their clothes open, carrying broadswords, looking heroic. According to Ye Tao, the more you disguise, the more careful you have to be. For example, a real Yizhou official doesn't always have to wear a uniform when traveling in Yizhou, because his identity doesn't depend on the uniform, and there are many other ways to verify it. But disguise doesn't work that way. The only way others can judge your identity is by your clothing, behavior, and demeanor. These must be done well, so well that the other person won't think you're anything else. Ye Tao and Tan Weixin called this "a strong sense of formality."

The Special Operations Battalion had deeply understood its essence, and even the military orders had shifted to "bandit" mode. A burly man with large ears approached Dai Cong and whispered, "Boss, let's do it."

Although Dai Cong was also from a prominent family, he felt it was very interesting at this time, like a playful child. He nodded and said, "Pass the order down, let the boys all go, keep your eyes peeled, and don't get bitten by the dogs."

Everyone responded and relayed the orders, and just as the soldiers sent by Zhu Long approached the place where they were hiding, they suddenly attacked.

"Brothers, kill! Capture those young masters and misses, and we'll all go back to the fortress and eat meat!" Hearing the slogan carried by the wind, Ye Tao, Zhou Rui, and Liu Yong exchanged glances. But on the surface, they looked very much the part.

Ye Tao cautiously asked the chief eunuch, who had been sitting behind the Third Princess with his eyes closed, "Eunuch... what's going on outside?"

The eunuch had obviously heard the sounds and was a little annoyed. He pursed his lips and gestured to the two young eunuchs beside him to investigate. The young masters and misses present also sent their servants to find out what was happening. Unexpectedly, before long, a young eunuch ran into the hall where they were gathered, crying, "It's terrible! Bandits have broken in, and they say they're going to kidnap us and demand ransom!"

What? Everyone exchanged glances. Were there really such daring bandits these days? "Your Highness, Eunuch Liao, Commander Qin, the bandits outside are very powerful, and they're already about to reach the stables. They're not far from here. What should we do?"

"What? The stables have been taken by the bandits so quickly? What's Zhu Long doing, eating shit?" Commander Qin was furious.

The soldier who came to report couldn't bear to see his superior being scolded for no reason, and explained, "Commander Qin, the enemies who have come are really strong. General Zhu asked me to notify everyone to gather together first, so that the generals and guards can unite to fight the enemy, and not be scattered so that the bandits have an opportunity. ... It's a bit chaotic outside right now, and some bandits have already broken into the villa. If even one or two people are really taken away, it will be difficult to explain."

Commander Qin wasn't an unreasonable person. Although he was annoyed, he still waved his hand and ordered everyone to gather together. Being invited by the Third Princess to go on an outing together, these families and clans were all considered close, and it was at this crucial time, so everyone was helping each other. The family servants and guards were all gathered to protect the hall where they were. They even moved the valuables they had brought with them there as well.

Unexpectedly, although they were putting up resistance outside, the news that came back was worse and worse. Although there weren't many bandits, their skills were really tough, and they were actually beating the imperial soldiers with no power to resist. If they weren't afraid of the imperial soldiers covering each other and the formation of their ranks, they would have already broken in.

"What should we do?" In the place where these young masters and ladies were gathered, everyone was waiting for someone to make a decision.

Commander Qin was also a little flustered. He turned to look at Eunuch Liao, but saw that Eunuch Liao, who had always had a simple and honest expression, was even more nervous than he was. He looked around and suddenly remembered that behind them were the mountains and forests. Although it was already evening, most of the animals in the mountains and forests were relatively gentle. With him and the few guards, dealing with tigers and leopards wouldn't be a problem. Anyway, there wouldn't be tigers and leopards gathering in one place.

He hardened his heart and said, "Since we can't stay here, everyone pack up and head into the valley. Although it will be a bit hard and tiring, as long as we hide for this one night, we'll be able to wait for reinforcements tomorrow morning, and then everything will be fine."

His words were like making a decision for everyone. Ye Tao felt that it was just what he wanted and quietly said to Liu Yong, "Uncle Liu, I'm leaving Xin'er to you."

Liu Yong nodded easily.