webnovelfull Chapter 650 Holding a Gun to His Head
Chapter 650 Holding a Gun to His Head
Liu Ye ordered his men to knock out the remaining Imperial Guards, then had them carried by soldiers and disguised as drunkards, parading them through the streets.
However, these soldiers were used to killing on the battlefield and were not very familiar with these disguise tactics. As a result, they did not notice that there was obvious blood on Wei Zhong and others. Their attempt to pretend to be drunk was seen by passers-by as a cover-up.
Once outside the alley, the street, which had been bustling, fell silent at the sound of firecrackers and the sight of a large group of burly men carrying several bloodied, life-or-death individuals. The pedestrians and vendors scattered in fear—these men looked incredibly fierce, and no one dared to provoke them. As for whether the injured men were innocent, no one cared to inquire; even offering help to those in need required consideration of the situation.
However, Liu Ye was unaware of all this; he was pondering an important question—where to interrogate these Imperial Guards.
Returning to the military camp? That didn't seem quite right. Torture a member of the Imperial Guard in the Beijing garrison's camp sounded unreliable, and the Divine Machine Battalion was definitely under orders to secretly monitor him; doing so would be too risky. While Liu Ye wasn't afraid of trouble, he didn't want to provoke it.
Find a secluded corner? But once Luo Yangxing discovers something's wrong with his men, he'll definitely launch a massive search. They're local bigwigs, and part of a secret service; they know every nook and cranny of the capital. He doesn't even know the city's layout, so how can he avoid the Embroidered Uniform Guard? A direct confrontation with them wouldn't do him any good.
Just as he was struggling with his decision, several people rushed towards Liu Ye. Liu Ye, engrossed in thought, didn't notice anything amiss. The soldiers quickly stepped forward to block them, stopping the men a few steps away.
The leader asked irritably, "Hey, is this how you treat your friends?"
Liu Ye looked up and smiled. The speaker was none other than the Ninth Prince of the "Hall of Heroes," or more accurately, Princess Kunxing, Zhu Meichu, the second daughter of Emperor Chongzhen.
He asked with a smile, "Princess... no, Ninth Prince, what's this? Are you here to get revenge today? Sorry, I don't have time to play house with you today, I have things to do."
Hearing him compare his actions to children playing house, Zhu Meichu, disguised as a man, blushed bright red and asked angrily, "What, are you scared?"
"Afraid?" Liu Ye smiled smugly, stretching his hand behind him to show the other person. "I have thousands of brothers behind me, why would I be afraid of you? I just don't want to bother with a little girl."
Zhu Meichu glanced at the unconscious Imperial Guard being held by the soldiers, her eyes darting around before she put on a smiling face: "Brother, what are you playing? Can you take your little sister with you?"
The change in tone was so sudden that Liu Ye couldn't adapt at all, especially the address of "brother" and "sister," which gave him goosebumps. He waved his hands repeatedly in refusal, saying, "No, no, we've only met once, don't try to build a relationship!"
Zhu Meichu immediately frowned and said with a sneer, "As the saying goes, 'No fight, no friendship,' we've fought before! Since you're so heartless, don't blame me for being unethical!"
"What do you want to do?" Liu Ye asked warily, seeing her confident demeanor.
Zhu Meichu glanced in the direction of the alley where the bloodshed had taken place and said leisurely, "I followed you all this way to find out your background, and of all things, I just happened to stumble upon the good deed you were doing in the alley. You are incredibly audacious! Under the emperor's nose, in broad daylight, you actually dared to kill Jin..."
"Shut up!" Liu Ye interrupted her, his hand on the gun handle at his waist, wondering how to deal with this completely unreliable princess.
Zhu Meichu took a few steps closer, looked up at him, and asked with a smile, "What, scared? If you're scared, take me with you, and I'll keep this secret."
Liu Ye replied calmly, "Heh, what do I have to be afraid of? Don't judge me, you've arrested Imperial Guards before, haven't you?"
“It’s different, it’s different!” Zhu Meichu shook her head like a rattle drum. “The Embroidered Uniform Guard is just a vicious dog raised by the royal family. I am a member of the Zhu family. So what if they arrest and beat me? But you are just a general. Offending the Embroidered Uniform Guard is offending my father, the emperor. And you still say you’re not afraid?”
"So you already know my identity. But I'm not afraid of your father, do you believe me?" Liu Ye slowly took out his pistol and calmly loaded it with lead bullets.
The two men were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice the once bustling street was dwindling in number, and many street vendors were quietly packing up their stalls. This large group blocking the street, confronting another small group, was a frightening sight; some had already secretly gone to report it to the authorities for rioting. When the pistol was drawn, the remaining pedestrians also fled in terror. People in the capital were worldly-wise; although these short pistols were rare, anyone with a discerning eye could tell they were firearms—were they about to start a street brawl?
Zhu Meichu seemed unconcerned about Liu Ye's words, instead fixing her gaze on the pistol in his hand, her eyes shining. "Is this a short pistol? It looks so exquisite, much better looking than the crude jugglers from the Divine Machine Battalion..."
Before Liu Ye could react, she snatched the pistol, looked it over with great interest, and then aimed it at Liu Ye's forehead.
"Brother, is this how you use it? Where do you press the button to make it ring?"
Liu Ye was utterly stunned. He never expected that a little girl would dare to snatch the pistol from his hand and point it at his head.
"Well, little sister, let's talk this out. Be careful not to accidentally discharge it; it's loaded with bullets!"
The soldiers next to them tried to squeeze in and block them, but Zhu Meichu stopped them: "Don't move, or I'll fire my pistol and you won't blame me!"
The pistol was almost touching Liu Ye's forehead. The distance was too close, and the soldiers were hesitant to move after hearing this.
Chiyo Shimazu quietly moved forward a few steps, looking for an opportunity to use her "No-Sword Takedown" technique to disarm her opponent.
Cold sweat beaded on Liu Ye's forehead; he dared not move. He had brushed with death countless times, but this time he never expected to be driven to the brink of death by a mere girl. The black muzzle of a gun was pointed directly at his forehead, the barrel gleaming coldly, still bearing traces of blood that hadn't been completely wiped away—the blood left from the Jinyiwei guards he had just killed. If Zhu Meichu pulled the trigger, his head would explode like a watermelon, just like those two Jinyiwei guards. He was filled with remorse; he shouldn't have given this woman the chance to get close, and he shouldn't have underestimated her, leaving her completely unprepared.
Unfortunately, there is no regret medicine in the world.
"Bang!" The windows on the second floor of the tavern next door also closed. Both the owner and the diners were worried that a fight might break out at any moment and cause collateral damage. The street suddenly became completely silent.