The dragon boat race had been incredibly exciting, leaving everyone exhilarated and gathered around, discussing the events.
The atmosphere in the arena was incredibly fervent.
Yet, the lively scene only made Su Xiaoqi feel increasingly nervous.
She glanced around, narrowing her eyes, her sense of unease growing stronger.
This intuition had saved her life countless times before.
She believed it wouldn't fail her this time.
Indeed, the line of black-clad figures in the distance, awaiting the Crown Prince's reward, suddenly erupted. As Liang Qiran approached them, someone let out a sharp whistle.
Swiftly, they all surged forward, drawing their soft swords and attacking the guards surrounding Liang Qiran.
"Ah... Guards! Protect the Prince!" the eunuch beside Liang Qiran screamed loudly.
Before the sound had fully escaped his lips, he was struck down by a sword, falling to the ground, bleeding profusely.
The commotion echoed throughout the surroundings, and the outer guards rushed forward in unison.
Chaos erupted instantly, with screams erupting everywhere, throwing everything into disarray.
Su Xiaoqi was far away, but her eyesight was excellent. Amidst the sudden turn of events, the black-clad assailants had attacked without warning.
Although they could have struck Liang Qiran down with a single blow, they inexplicably veered, only managing to wound his arm.
As a result, Liang Qiran fell to the ground, injured, and was immediately surrounded by the rushing guards, shielded flawlessly.
Su Xiaoqi's eyes narrowed slightly.
The figures of the Eldest Princess and Prince Duan, who had arrived earlier, also came into her view.
The Eldest Princess, though not skilled in martial arts, also moved closer to Liang Qiran, adopting a protective stance.
Surprisingly, Prince Duan, Liang Qiye, was skilled in combat.
As soon as he appeared, the black-clad assassins who had been attacking indiscriminately surged towards him.
As the saying goes, even the strongest fist can't beat four hands. No matter how strong he was, he was no match for so many killers.
Within a few exchanges, he was forced into a corner. He had raised his long sword to strike, but after exchanging a glance with someone, the attacker dodged.
Liang Qiye was initially bewildered, then quickly realized what was happening. He glanced at Liang Qiran, who was surrounded by guards.
Then, looking at the expressions of the nobles and influential families nearby, his heart sank. He gritted his teeth and continued to fight the assassins.
His sword strokes were fierce and left no room for mercy.
Seeing his tenacity, the assassins' faces contorted with resentment, and their attacks became less restrained.
Immediately, several guards were stabbed and killed on the spot.
Liang Qiye once again successfully put himself in a perilous situation.
"Father, I'm here to help you!" a nimble figure leaped forward, quickly relieving Liang Qiye from being surrounded.
The father and son exchanged a look; no words were needed, everything was understood.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaoqi, looking at the high platform, couldn't help but worry about Liang Jingchen, who had recently ascended the platform.
She thought he was foolish. While everyone else was avoiding the high platform, he was running towards it.
With blades flying indiscriminately, what if he got hurt?
However, Liang Jingchen's footwork and swordsmanship were top-notch.
She wondered how he had managed to master them so quickly.
Perhaps it was the pressure of his circumstances. He now held a high position, and such a position did not allow him to learn slowly.
Fortunately, his physical foundation was not bad, he was intelligent, and he was willing to put in more effort than ordinary people, which allowed him to progress further.
The situation in the arena became a stalemate.
The assassins and the guards attempting to rescue were unable to gain the upper hand over each other.
Su Xiaoqi suddenly heard the leader of the black-clad figures blow another whistle, and a wave of panic washed over her.
She looked behind her.
She saw that outside the awnings of various mansions, many guards and escorts, dressed in the different attire of each mansion, were tearing off the outer cloaks they wore, revealing the black fitted clothing underneath.
Su Xiaoqi was shocked. It was one thing for them to assassinate the key figures on the platform, but now this assassination had directly impacted the crowd below.
And they were vicious, wielding their swords and slashing into the milling crowd.
"Ah..."
"Help me..."
Seeing the blood, everyone was terrified and fled in a panic.
Su Xiaoqi stood rooted to the spot, her eyes wide with shock.
She had thought there were only those twenty assassins on the platform.
She never expected they had already infiltrated various mansions, disguised as escorts and guards.
Who would suspect them?
What were originally meant to protect their own families had, in the end, become instruments of slaughter and reaping, a complete one-sided massacre.
The people here were families of officials, delicate and unable to care for themselves, utterly defenseless. How could they protect themselves?
Only some of the prominent aristocratic families, like the Duke of Yu's Mansion, the Marquis of Dingbian, and the Duke of Zhenguo, could organize a resistance to firmly protect their masters.
Other ordinary officials' families had either been injured or were screaming in terror, fleeing in a frenzy.
Screams, cries, and the sound of rushing footsteps echoed all around. Without the assassins needing to act, people were trampling each other to death.
At this critical juncture, the Old Madam stepped forward, directing her household retainers to guide everyone to seek refuge in the Duke of Yu's Mansion's awning.
"Everyone, stay calm and take shelter in the Duke of Yu's Mansion's awning."
The Old Madam's voice was not loud, but it had a strange calming effect.
Upon hearing her, the scene, which had been a chaotic mess, immediately improved.
Their flight was no longer blind panic; now, they finally had a direction – to rush towards the Old Madam of the Duke of Yu's Mansion.
However, some people, either not hearing or not believing, were still running around in a daze, covering their heads.
As soon as they were isolated, they were quickly cut down by the assassins.
Seeing this scene, Su Xiaoqi felt a pang of sadness. She climbed onto a prominent large rock and shouted:
"Quick, quick, ladies and young misses, all run towards the Duke of Yu's Mansion's awning! The Old Madam has seen battle before.
She will protect you, just as the late Duke of Yu protected the Great Liang."
This statement instantly stirred the crowd, reminding them of the military achievements of the late Duke of Yu.
When the late Duke of Yu was still young, the Great Liang dynasty had been pushed all the way to the capital's doorstep by the Northern Di.
The court officials split into two factions, one advocating retreat and the other resistance, causing widespread commotion, yet no one could propose a tangible solution.
At that time, the late Duke of Yu was merely the heir of the Duke of Yu's Mansion.
All the civil and military officials in the court, in their clamor, could not come up with a response.
They simply suggested that the Emperor abandon the capital, cross the Yellow River south, and then proceed to Jiangning Prefecture on the Yangtze River, establish a Southern Court there, and later plan to march north to reclaim the Great Liang dynasty.
But the late Duke of Yu disagreed. He secretly began to mobilize troops, risking his life to sneak out of the city overnight and launch a surprise attack on the Northern Di.
Stealthily, he burned their reserve grain and fodder, causing their siege plan to fail.
Attack the city?
The walls of Shuntian Prefecture were thick and heavy, impenetrable by ordinary force.
Without sufficient grain as backup, it was impossible to succeed.
Moreover, under the leadership of the late Duke of Yu, the defending generals strictly guarded the city gates during the day, resisting to the death.
At night, the late Duke of Yu would lead the Yu Family Army out of the city stealthily, incessantly harassing the Northern Di forces.
He kept them from sleeping at night.
Within a few days, they were so worn out that they lost their morale.
Their mental defenses collapsed, and they began to consider retreating.
But the late Duke of Yu used his actions to show them.
Coming was easy, but leaving was not.
He had already laid traps on their escape route and, as they retreated, he surrounded and annihilated them.
The late Duke of Yu became famous overnight.
Furthermore, in his subsequent thirty years of military service, he never tasted defeat.
He was a god of war in the minds of the Great Liang people and officials alike.
As the late Duke of Yu's widow, the Old Madam was the same.
When the late Duke of Yu was on the battlefield, it was always the Old Madam who accompanied him.
At this moment, the Old Madam's reputation gave everyone a focal point.
Everyone flocked towards her.
Just as Su Xiaoqi worried that the small awning of the Duke of Yu's Mansion might not be enough, she realized that the Old Madam had already directed the household retainers to merge the Eldest Princess's mansion and the Duke of Yu's Mansion.
She also included the nearby awnings of the Marquis of Dingbian and the Duke of Zhenguo.
The area was now packed with people.
The guards from each mansion stood at the outermost perimeter with their sabers.
Any assassin who dared to approach would be beheaded.
The assassins were not foolish. There were only a few dozen of them, while the combined guards from several mansions, plus the Duke of Yu's Mansion's retainers, numbered over a hundred.
And standing on the outermost perimeter were the battle-hardened retainers from the Duke of Yu's Mansion, their bodies covered in scars.
Their gazes were fierce, and their methods were even more seasoned.
Killing was like cutting vegetables and meat to them.
The assassins did not go in that direction, and the people they wanted to protect were inside, not willing to leave easily.
Thus, the assassins changed their target to those who had not heeded the Old Madam's advice and rushed into the protection circle.
They chased them, causing them to scream in terror.