Bai Laoye quickly stepped forward, pulling his daughter behind him, and looked at his wife with disbelieving eyes.
Madam Bai turned her head away, not looking at him, feeling somewhat guilty but not regretting her actions.
"Tsk, what a heartless mother, but I like it," one of the bandits joked, and everyone burst into laughter. Sudan Novel Network.
Wu Caiwei, disregarding Bai Laoye's obstruction, walked directly from behind him to the front.
"Little beauty, do you like big brothers?" The bandit's eyes lit up when she appeared voluntarily.
"I like you, so much that I want to beat you up," Wu Caiwei said, her face unchanged.
Before they could react, she drew her soft sword from her waist and with one slash, severed the necks of three men. The men clutched their throats in disbelief and slowly fell.
The remaining bandits instinctively took a step back. Even the Bai family members were greatly shocked and distanced themselves from her, as if they didn't know her.
The bandits exchanged glances, drew their own swords, and looked at her with serious expressions, advancing slowly. They had underestimated their opponent, thinking they were just old, weak, and women, but they hadn't expected a tough opponent.
Seizing the opportunity, Wu Caiwei leaped into their midst, her sword dancing in a series of movements, her attacks swift, fierce, and accurate.
Despite the bandits' numbers, none were a match for Wu Caiwei. They were injured from time to time, feeling overwhelmed. One quick-witted bandit grabbed Madam Bai and held a knife to her throat.
"I advise you to lay down your weapons and surrender immediately, or your mother will lose her head." The bandit had heard clearly that she called her daughter.
Wu Caiwei spared a moment to glance, and found it amusing. She thought the bandit was not very smart. Given Madam Bai's actions just now, did they think she would care about her?
But Madam Bai did not think so. She spoke tremblingly, "I am your mother, you cannot abandon me, otherwise you are unfilial."
Wu Caiwei ignored her. She was calling herself her mother now, but when she pushed her out earlier, did she not consider that she was her daughter?
The battle was quickly drawing to a close. The bandit, seeing that Wu Caiwei paid no heed to her mother, gritted his teeth and stabbed her directly in the abdomen.
Madam Bai's screams almost pierced the sky. Bai Laoye was utterly disappointed in Madam Bai. Although he saw her miserable state, he was afraid of getting involved himself and remained still, minimizing his presence.
Bai Shuming, who had always been doted on by Madam Bai, was also cowering in a corner, afraid to help.
When the bandit, still not giving up, tried to seize Bai Laoye, Wu Caiwei snatched a sword from the bandit she was fighting and threw it. The sword pierced directly through the bandit's body.
Bai Laoye stepped back involuntarily, looking at the bandit lying at his feet. This was the first time he had ever seen someone die in front of him. He trembled all over, his face pale. Looking at his daughter, who fought with ease amidst the chaos, he suddenly felt she was a stranger, and that he didn't know her well enough.
The fight did not last long. All the bandits lay on the ground. Although Wu Caiwei was skilled, she still sustained a couple of wounds that were bleeding profusely. Gritting her teeth, she tore two strips of cloth from her skirt, sprinkled some hemostatic powder on them, and bandaged herself simply.
Wu Caiwei's engagement with most of the bandits had eased the pressure on the back courtyard. Soon, the remaining bandits were dealt with. The servants rushed to the main courtyard to gather. They stared at the corpses scattered everywhere, their mouths agape, not knowing what had happened. Although curious, those who survived in the back courtyard knew that some things were meant to be asked, and some were not.
At this moment, Madam Bai lay bleeding on the ground. Her personal maid kept comforting her and pressing her hand against the wound, praying for the bleeding to stop.
Wu Caiwei thought for a moment, feeling she couldn't just watch her die. She threw a bottle of hemostatic medicine to the maid, who quickly applied it to Madam Bai. When the bleeding stopped, the maid almost knelt and kowtowed to her.
Soon, daybreak arrived. The attackers were exceptionally fierce, and many were killed or injured in the Bai mansion. Fortunately, they had survived the night without further disaster.
The unharmed servants spontaneously began to clean up the mess. Others went out to gather information and returned, shaking their heads and sighing. It turned out that not only their Bai mansion but most of the official families had suffered losses that night.
The Bai family was considered fortunate. Some families had no survivors, like the one next door.
It was heard that the battle at the city walls was also fierce, having fought all night with many casualties and heavy losses.
At this rate, the capital would eventually fall. The Emperor had not slept all night, and several high-ranking officials were around him discussing countermeasures. However, after much deliberation, they all held a pessimistic view of the current situation.
Originally, they had thought that with the capital heavily guarded, they could hold out for some time as long as they stayed within the city gates.
But who knew that that very night, someone would collude with them from the inside, opening the city gates.
The sounds of killing from outside were deafening. The people in the mansion had not slept, daring not to relax in the slightest. Those who were too exhausted to stay awake simply slept leaning against the walls. After all, they had fought a battle the previous night and had not had a chance to rest properly before starting again.
This time, Madam Bai behaved herself and dared not cause any trouble. Her abdomen pained her intensely. She lay on Bai Laoye's bed, constantly monitoring everything outside, afraid they would abandon her.
Bai Laoye watched his daughter diligently wipe her sword. Although he felt his daughter was becoming increasingly unfamiliar, her presence brought him great peace of mind. After all, his daughter was brave, wise, and had everything under control.
He had previously worried about what would happen if Prince Lu's heir became emperor and looked down on his daughter, or simply used her. Now, he realized his worries were superfluous; neither of them was simple.
He couldn't help but lament that he was truly old, and that the future belonged to the young. Unknowingly, Bai Laoye had placed his daughter in a position of high regard, and from then on, he would seek her opinion first on any matter.
Perhaps their objective tonight was different from yesterday. Through the cracks in the door, they could see the fierce fighting outside. People crashed against the door from time to time, and more rushed towards the Imperial City.
As soon as dawn broke, they heard that the Imperial City had been captured and the Emperor had abdicated.
The three princes had jointly forced the Emperor from the throne, but they had a fierce debate over who would be the next emperor, and it was rumored that they even resorted to physical altercations. In the end, Prince Lu emerged victorious.
Although Prince Lu had won, he had also suffered significant losses. To consolidate his position, all officials, except the Emperor and princes, were exempt from punishment.
This battle seemed to have ended, but Wu Caiwei felt it was just the beginning. The imperial court and the three feudal kings had suffered heavy military losses, which would take years to recover. Meanwhile, the remaining feudal kings and Huangfu Xingchen were still secretly plotting, creating a sense of calm before a storm.