Since there is space, it is naturally the best to buy it for 0 yuan

Chapter 620 The Prince Li's Mansion

I found they were right; this way of making money was too fast.

The thrill of instantly getting gold coins with a single touch is something no other activity can replicate.

Just like picking herbs on the road, you can't immediately convert them into cash; they need to be processed and treated.

You have to carry it into the city yourself and sell it to get money, which is a classic example of delayed gratification.

Unlike this, which is either there or it isn't, making it clear at a glance and easy to find with a simple search.

From that day on, these young masters became even more proactive and diligent in disposing of corpses.

They will protect anyone who tries to steal from them.

After traveling for most of the day, we finally saw a city before dark. It was such a difficult journey.

I had originally planned to go into the city to wash up and rest properly.

As soon as they entered the city, they were surrounded by people under the pretext of catching bandits.

They claimed that the group of people were the wanted criminals and began to arrest them.

This made Shen Ruyi laugh.

Sure enough, the more remote the place, the greater the power of the local tyrant, and the easier it is for right and wrong to be reversed.

If you don't want to live, then don't live.

Shen Ruyi lifted a corner of the carriage and said expressionlessly, "Kill them."

"Yes."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of swords being drawn rang out. In a few swift strokes, all the constables were killed with a single, decisive blow to the throat, dying with remarkable speed and efficiency.

This change startled pedestrians on the street, who scattered in panic, screams echoing throughout the area.

Shen Ruyi said lazily, "Let's go straight to the county government office."

"Yes."

It was half an hour later when the local magistrate knelt on the ground, terrified, and wet himself.

Shen Ruyi lost patience with him and went to take a bath.

She's been living a very rough life lately, so she hasn't had a proper bath. She's covered in dirt from all the scrubbing she's done.

The interrogation work was handed over directly to Shadow Five and General Huang.

According to Magistrate Duan's confession, the order came from the Prince Li's residence, and he had no choice but to carry it out; he did not do it intentionally.

Besides, he's just a minor official; he's definitely just doing what his superiors tell him to do.

Shen Ruyi had no concept of the Li Prince's Mansion; she had never even heard of it.

It was a group of people, including Shadow Five, General Huang, and Physician Chen, who pieced together a story for Shen Ruyi about the origins of the Li Prince's Mansion.

Their understanding was incomplete; they only knew the general outline and were unclear about the current King Li's character.

After all, this place is far from the capital, and there is an imperial edict that forbids people from returning to the capital without a decree, so even fewer people know about the Prince Li's residence.

All that is known is that the Prince Li's residence was specially assigned here by the late emperor after he ascended the throne.

Because when the late King Le was a prince, he not only competed with the late king for the throne, but also attacked the late king.

If it weren't for the late emperor's desire to protect his reputation and refrain from such ruthless extermination...

Furthermore, the previous emperor had specifically left an edict instructing him to treat these princes well; otherwise, it's uncertain whether the Lê King's faction could have survived.

The moment Shen Ruyi received the confession, she began writing a letter to the officials.

She recounted to the emperor everything that had happened to her along the way.

He specifically mentioned that he had been assassinated repeatedly on the road.

The emphasis is on a group of people who are from the military.

People are saying that her presence is blocking the way of those in power.

Finally, he changed the subject in the letter, pleading guilty and giving the officials a heads-up.

They said she was very likely being targeted by the Li Prince's Mansion, but she didn't understand how she had offended them.

It seems they intend to leave her here as fertilizer.

She also hinted that she might start investigating the Prince Li's residence.

You can't blame her for being naive; she did it to protect herself and to survive. She had no choice but to do it.

As for Magistrate Duan, after he confessed everything he needed to, he was temporarily detained and placed under guard.

Furthermore, after receiving Shen Ruyi's letter, the Emperor was both angry and worried.

Under his rule, someone actually dared to send someone to assassinate a prince! This is outrageous! Is there no law left?

They have no respect for the imperial court at all; this is utterly lawless.

As for the fact that the Prince Li's residence was eventually implicated, the Emperor was not too surprised.

He had a vague suspicion when he received the first letter a few days ago.

When I saw this letter, I felt relieved and at ease, and I felt that this was how it should be.

He wholeheartedly agreed with Xiao Heitan's plan to investigate the Li Prince's Mansion; he wished Xiao Heitan would investigate all the princes.

My only worry was Xiao Heitan's safety, but then I thought about how she wasn't an ordinary person, she was a lucky star, and I felt much more at ease.

Then think about her incredible luck—she always seems to turn bad luck into good, and whoever meets her is doomed.

Suddenly, I felt that he should look forward to the outcome this time; perhaps it could help him get rid of another major threat.

Little Black Charcoal's luck is something that can't be judged by conventional standards.

These regional princes lived far from the emperor, and over time the court gradually lost control over them.

So, with a flourish of his pen, he condemned the Li Prince's Mansion repeatedly in the letter.

He also said that Xiao Heitan could investigate freely and go all out, and that he would only verify evidence and would never protect anyone.

They would not show any special favor just because the other party was a prince or a descendant of the emperor.

Finally, Shen Ruyi was told to be more shrewd and prioritize her own safety above all else.

If she really feels something is wrong, and she can't win against the other party, she should leave the area first, prioritizing her personal safety.

Shen Ruyi wasn't too surprised when she received the Emperor's reply; she had already guessed that the Emperor was 100% supportive.

She didn't rush to the prefectural city, but instead settled down there for a longer period of time.

Based on the information given by Magistrate Duan, General Huang and his men were instructed to take the county seat as their starting point and begin suppressing bandits in the surrounding area.

We're going to start clearing out each one one by one.

Even if the other party wants to kill her to silence her, there will definitely be further actions. There's no need to rush, just wait.

She'd rather weaken the enemy's forces first; she had plenty of patience anyway.

Of course, she didn't do nothing. She specially sent three shadow guards to disguise her and go to the prefectural city in advance to inquire about matters related to the Prince Li's residence.

She must know herself and her enemy; she won't fight a battle unprepared.

This ordinary place has almost become a den of bandits; it just doesn't seem right.

How could there be so many bandits? How do they survive?

Shen Ruyi thought that her side would continue to be invincible.

As a result, General Huang suffered a defeat when he went to attack the third bandit stronghold called Shuizhai.

Moreover, they injured many people and failed to break through at all.

The messenger who returned said that General Huang and his men were not skilled in naval warfare, and they were caught in a trap as soon as they got there.

They practically wrapped me up like a dumpling.

If it weren't for the fact that there were a few shadow guards among the people who went with them...

Several shadow guards were skilled and agile enough to carve a bloody path through the enemy lines, and it's possible that all of them will perish there.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ruyi thought, "Fine, I'll take care of it myself."

Without even pausing, he led Yi Ren and Ying Wu, lightly equipped, on their journey.

She also wanted to see this place called Shuizhai. She liked to tackle tough challenges; they made the food more flavorful and delicious.

It was almost dark when they arrived.

General Huang and his entourage have successfully retreated to the shore and are currently bandaging their wounds and resting.

General Huang himself was also injured, suffering a knife wound to his arm.

Seeing that Shen Ruyi had come in person, he felt extremely guilty and quickly knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

Shen Ruyi tossed two bottles of the best wound medicine over, "Get up, sit down and talk."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After listening to General Huang's account of the situation, Shen Ruyi became even more interested. A village where women were in charge was quite intriguing.

After understanding the situation and making some preparations, Shen Ruyi took a few bows and arrows and led the group onto a small boat.

Under the cover of night, they headed towards the dragon's den and tiger's lair that General Huang had described.

After traveling for about an hour, they arrived at the place where General Huang and his men had almost been trapped, a large lake bay.

The shadows of the trees in the distance were outlined in a dark blue under the night sky, appearing indistinct and shadowy shapes.

There might be a mountain breeze rustling through the bamboo leaves, but not a single bird call could be heard, which is quite interesting.

The shimmering lake surface resembled a giant monster, its gaping maw waiting for everyone to arrive.

Shen Ruyi and the others held their breath, stood back to back, and kept a close watch on their surroundings.

Until a few large bubbles appeared on the calm, still lake surface, these bubbles then expanded into large circles and spread outwards.

Without hesitation, Shen Ruyi drew her bow and shot an arrow to test the waters.

Not long after, the lake changed color, meaning the guess was right and the shot hit the target.

Seeing this, the others also began to nock their arrows and shoot at the spot that seemed amiss, all in one smooth motion.

Soon after, muffled groans began to sound one after another.

The men spent their time shooting and finishing off arrows, and soon the lake changed color, with the smell of blood filling the air.

After countless arrows were fired in such a dense manner, the lake returned to calm.

Shen Ruyi knew she had passed the first test, but that was all.

The ship continued its journey, and the crew began to divide the tasks: a few people were assigned to guard the ship, while the rest were responsible for dealing with external enemies.

As long as the boat is fine, with their skills, they are not afraid of anyone who comes, and no one can hold them back.

After traveling about ten meters, their path was blocked underwater by rows of upright wooden rafts.

Without saying a word, she leaped into the air, channeling her inner strength and unleashing a powerful sword strike.

With one sword strike, half the path was cleared away, followed by another strike.

The road ahead was completely clear, which stunned Shadow Five and the others. They hadn't expected it to be solved so easily.

I thought to myself, "I didn't expect you to be hiding your true abilities all this time. I've learned something new. Does she follow the King of the East Sea wherever he goes? She's a master among masters. Impressive!"

We had barely managed to drive away from here before we could even catch our breath when arrows rained down from the sky.

It was shot directly from the banks on both sides.

Yi Renying and the others stood back to back, their swords and knives flashing like afterimages.

All the arrows were knocked into the water.

They even specially pushed Shen Ruyi to the very center to protect her.

Shen Ruyi couldn't just sit idle either, so she drew her bow and fired a barrage of arrows at the shore, three arrows at a time. Surely one of them would hit the target.

Anyway, she was strong, so archery suited her perfectly. She was like a robot, drawing the bow and shooting arrows, then drawing the bow again and shooting again.

After this series of actions, the number of arrows being shot from the shore decreased significantly.

This shows it's working. Shen Ruyi turned around and fired wildly at the other side of the shore, targeting the very spot where the arrows were coming from.

As the number of arrows coming at her decreased, she also nocked a bow and began to shoot.

After a series of actions, the number of arrows shot from the shore decreased, and eventually stopped.

"Are any of our men injured? If so, let us know and get them treated immediately."

They looked at each other, and it was nothing. "No, we're all fine."

"Well, it's good that you're alright. If anything happens, be sure to tell us. Nothing is more important than our own safety."

We can take this place today, or we can take it tomorrow; there's no need to drastically change the outcome.

"Understood, thank you, Master. We are all fine."

"Okay, let's move on then."

"Yes."

The wide lake gradually began to narrow, becoming increasingly narrow the further you went.

Everyone held their breath again, observing everything that seemed amiss, and continued to move forward slowly.

The only sounds were the heartbeats of the people and the sound of the boats rowing, like the calm before a storm.

Just as the stern entered the narrowest bend, torches on both banks lit up almost simultaneously, illuminating this section of the night sky.

Only then did I see that the shore was densely packed with people, shouting loudly.

This isn't a bandit's den; it's clearly someone's private army.

What kind of bandits could be so well-trained? That's just a lie.

The first thing Shadow Five and the others did was to protect Shen Ruyi in the center.

A man with a face full of scars, who looked like a leader, took a few steps forward and said with a sinister look in his eyes:

"You choose the path to heaven but refuse to take it, and you insist on barging into the gates of hell. Don't blame us for being ruthless. Go! Kill them all and avenge our brothers."

"Yes."

In the blink of an eye, Shen Ruyi shouted "Hold your breath," took out several packets of medicine, and casually threw them onto the banks on both sides.

Yi Ren and Ying Wu were prepared; the moment Shen Ruyi shouted, they held their breath and began to fight.

The people on the shore thought that what Shen Ruyi suddenly threw was some kind of hidden weapon, and they cleaved it in two with a single slash.

The powder inside immediately flew everywhere.

Those who were nearby swallowed the medicine and only managed to shout "Oh no!" before collapsing to the ground.

The clanging sounds of things hitting the ground grew louder and louder.

Someone gave the order: "Something's wrong! Retreat! Everyone back up!"

The man collapsed right after shouting.

How could Shen Ruyi allow them to retreat? She then threw over some more medicine packets.

Then he drew his bow and shot again, targeting those who were furthest away, least affected by the drugs, and were trying to escape.

Every arrow hits the target.

Meanwhile, Shadow Five and his crew were fighting against wave after wave of enemies who were closing in on the ships.

One sword, one kill; either a fatal blow to the throat or a piercing blow through the heart.

The ships were surrounded by so many corpses and arrows that they almost blocked their way.

Seeing this, Yi Ren also took up her bow and arrow. With the combined efforts of her and Shen Ruyi, no one was left standing in the distance.

Soon, almost all of these people were wiped out, and even those who were not unconscious were in a semi-conscious state.

She casually swallowed two of the antidote she had before asking, "What kind of medicine did you just sprinkle?"

"They're all date rape drugs, but the ingredients are different. I just threw them in randomly. Here, have some water to cool down, it might help a little."

Yi Ren immediately understood, picked up the water pouch that Shen Ruyi handed over, took two gulps, and then handed it to someone else.