1

It's late at night.

In addition to the fireworks and willow alleys in the noisy imperial capital, there are only people wearing straw raincoats, hats, and horse lanterns and gongs on the streets.

"Speak the gong to notify me, close the doors and windows, be careful of the candle!" An old anti-comman shouted on the street in Chengnan where the Su family is located, and then beat the gong three times faster, "Dong--Dong!Dong!Dong!" The hour passed, and it was the sweet time of sleep.

The old man glanced out of the corner of his eyes and saw several black shadows skipping over the wall. The old man looked around but saw no movement. He shook his head, thinking that he was dazzled, and he made up his mind not to drink so much wine in the future, and then he went further away.

On the other side of the wall, more than a dozen men dressed in black, covered in black cloth and wearing black scarves hid in the shadows. Only a few steps away from them were the Su family's courtyard wall.

"Brothers, the prince said that as long as we are apart from the old thief Su Wanxin, we will do whatever we want here!" said a man in black. Judging from his identity, he seemed to be the leader of this group of people.

"This Su Wanxin is the richest man in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, that is, the mountains of gold and silver. Then will our brothers have endless wealth and glory from now on!" Another person said, thinking about it before he even took action.

"Three brothers, have they all been deployed?" The man in black who was speaking at the beginning asked someone beside him.

"Brother, don't worry, I have arranged it. I have made every brother remember the distribution map of the Su Mansion. The 17th and 11th old man ignited the horse shed of the Su Mansion to attract the attention of the guards. We used the fire as the call to enter the Su Mansion and took the head of the old thief Su Wanxin's neck!"

"Well! That's good. The prince has secretly transferred the defenders in the city to other places. They will have half an hour to come here at the earliest. We have plenty of time. How much can we take at that time depends on our ability!" The leader paused and said, "Everyone remembers their own escape routes. Don't give them a pot to the defenders. If you have no life and enjoy your happiness, you can only blame yourself. We won't come to save you!"

"Yes! Big Brother!"

In the horse shed in the backyard of Su Mansion, two black shadows sneaked into the place where the grass was piled up. They looked around and found that there was no one, they took out the fire stick and prepared to light it. A red dot lit up in the dark, but before they could blow the flames, a harsh sound of breaking through the air had already been heard, and a painful groan came from the darkness, and the fire stick then fell to the ground.

"If you have an ambush, retreat quickly!" The two black shadows turned around and ran away, but unexpectedly they were followed by another group of people and were knocked unconscious on the ground with two "slap".

The fire broker fell to the ground, and there were a few dead grass around it, which had already begun to smoke. It was about to start a fire, and one foot stepped on it, strangled the flame, picked up the fire broker from the ground, and threw it into the bucket beside it.

"Brother Liao! These two people are tied up!" Wu Liu walked to Liao Zhongyan and said.

"Well, take it down and serve it well!" Liao Zhongyan said coldly.

"Okay, I have to let them take off their skin. I see whether they are stubborn or my pliers! Grandma, you dare to hit the Su Mansion to pay attention!" Wu Liu walked away cursingly and took the two away with his brothers.

The group of men in black were anxiously waiting for the fire order at this moment, and they couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

"Brother! Could it be that some fork has come out? Why hasn't it been so long?" asked one person.

"Don't be anxious!" said the man in black, "I heard that the captain of the guard under Su Wanxin is from the army and is said to have a good title. With this person guarding us, we still need to be careful! But after all, it is not as good as the army, and there will definitely be loopholes. We wait patiently, and the night is still long!"

As soon as the words were finished, fires rose into the sky in the distance.

"Be good! The fire is too hot!" a man in black smiled.

"It's time to go!" Su Mansion suddenly became noisy, with men and women, and the sound was very noisy, but the sound gradually became smaller from near to far, as if it was all heading to the backyard.

A man in black jumped off the wall, "Brother, everyone is heading to the backyard!"

"Brothers, come on!" The leader raised his arms and shouted, first climbed up the wall and jumped to the inner courtyard of the Suzhou house. After everyone fell into the courtyard, he ordered, "Find your own target, and kill it without any consequences when you resist!"

"Ah!" A man in black screamed, fell to the ground and pulled it out a few times before he stopped moving.

"Retreat!" The leader knew that he was trapped and immediately turned over to the wall, and had escaped in a few moves.

Before the others could react, they were trapped by a large net falling from the sky. Torches lit up in the darkness, and shadows were gathered around them. Several guards of the Su Mansion surrounded them with crossbows. The men in black knew that they could not escape, so they threw away their weapons and knelt down on their heads to surrender.

"Escaped! It seems that he is still the leader!" Xu Si said helplessly.

"It's okay, the Butterfly Girl has gone to chase after you!" Liao Zhongyan walked to Xu Si, looked at the men in black, and snorted coldly, "Take them all down, treat them well!"

The leading man in black was very good at escaping and fleeing very quickly. He quickly ran out of half of the imperial capital. At this moment, he was fleeing to the royal palace, hoping that the prince could let him hide for a while before making a long-term plan. He flew all the way through the eaves and walls, and soon landed at the back door of the royal palace. He found a remote corner and was about to climb over the wall. He caught a glimpse of a blue shadow in the corner of his eyes, and the blackness in front of him lost consciousness.

The butterfly stood in the air with the man in black in one hand, stood above the main entrance of the palace, glanced at the plaque and turned around and flew away.

2

"King Jingyang?" Su Wanxin sighed, sat on the chair, picked up the tea and took a sip.

"The King of Jingyang holds heavy troops and is powerful in the court and the country. It can be said that he is less than one person than ten thousand. Even the ministers in charge of life must be polite to him. Your Majesty is old and basically all government affairs are handed over to King of Jingyang. The people privately believe that the prosperous Tang Dynasty will soon return to the ancestor's surname!" Liao Zhongyan said from the side.

"Well, yes! Although this prosperous Tang Dynasty was prosperous under the rule of Your Majesty, it was contrary to the ancestral system. There has been no precedent for female emperors throughout history. King Jingyang was the only prince who had achieved great success in that coup. Your Majesty had no descendants. Nowadays, several princes are all here. If King Jingyang can succeed the throne, it would be legitimate. But..." Su Wanxin was helpless, "I just took my family wealth!"

"Master, the Su family's business is now affected both openly and secretly. Although it does not hurt the root cause, it is not a solution to continue this way. You still have to think of a way to deal with it properly." Liao Zhongyan reminded.

"I naturally know this. Brother Liao, don't stand there. There is no outsider. Let's have a heart to talk to each other! Come and sit down!" Su Wanxin hurriedly stood up, pulled Liao Zhongyan to the seat aside, and personally served him a cup of tea. Liao Zhongyan wanted to refuse, but he had no choice but to accept it.

"Brother Liao, if I say that the business is so big, it's not what I think, do you believe it?" Su Wanxin said with a smile, as if he didn't care at all about what he was talking about.

"Faith!" Liao Zhongyan always spoke concisely.

"Haha! Brother Liao is still so kind!" Su Wanxin smiled, "To be honest, Brother Liao said, my happiest time was when I opened a small workshop with Ruolan in Jiangnan. Although he was hard at that time, he lived a real life. Last time, Ruolan and I secretly left your guards and went to that place quietly. At that time, the business was getting bigger and bigger, so we bought the old shop and replaced it with a larger shop. Unexpectedly, in a flash, the shop was still there, but it was a bit dilapidated. Ruolan and I stood at the door, recalling that time together, and were very reluctant to leave when we left. I carried Ruolan on my back and arranged for someone to buy it again, and waited for a few years to go back with Ruolan and enjoy our youth!"

"The master is really nostalgic. He has a deep relationship with his wife, which is enviable!"

"When I was in Canglong Ridge, when the evil cultivator said 'Prince', I almost guessed who it was, but I was a little unwilling to believe it. That night, I was really afraid! I was afraid of separation from my family's life and death, and I was afraid that you loyal guards would lose their lives in vain. All of this was because I was rich enough to compete with the country! I was really helpless!" Su Wanxin sighed, "So, I made a decision that night, you just want my property, just take it, but don't touch my family, this is my bottom line!"

"Don't worry, Master, I will swear to protect the Su family to the death!" Liao Zhongyan said firmly.

"My Su family's property is innocent. Now that King Jingyang has no help from the help of monks, he can only rely on some wild thieves, thieves, gangsters, and other things. He can't do anything to me. I don't want to confront him head-on unless I have to. I am not afraid of him, but my Su family's descendants still need to survive. After all, in a hundred years, this country will still fall into his hands. I don't want him to be killed by him at that time! Brother Liao, so I have to trouble you and all brothers to guard carefully, and be more careful!"

"The master is too worried! The guards of the Su Mansion are comparable to those of the imperial guards. The ordinary killer is not our opponent, but if you meet a master, there is also the Butterfly Girl!"

"That's good, that's good!" Su Wanxin also felt relieved.

The two sat and chatted for a while, chatting about family matters, recalling the past, they couldn't help but sigh. Time flies, and the years passed, and the first meeting was still full of energy. Now they are in their forties. They look at each other and smile at each other and look at each other speechlessly.

"Master, there are two people outside the mansion who ask for a meeting, but they don't know their identity. They just asked me to tell the master that they could resolve the danger of the Su Mansion!" The housekeeper Huang walked in, and after showing his salute, he reported the matter to Su Wanxin, and then retreated outside the door to wait for the notice.

"Oh! There's still this matter!" Su Wanxin turned to ask Liao Zhongyan, "Brother Liao, what do you think?"

"Well, the only people who know the Su Mansion are the people in the Su Mansion and the Jingyang Prince's Mansion. There is no glorious thing there, and they will not be promoted everywhere. At this time, these two people have only two possibilities. One is that the Jingyang Prince's Mansion changes its strategy and intends to blatantly approach the master and assassinate him; as for this second possibility, these two people are people who can really solve the problem."

"Brother Liao's analysis is reasonable!" Su Wanxin nodded, "Which is the possibility of Brother Liao's preference?"

"It's hard to say, half and half, master, why not do this? Inviting Butterfly Girls over here, this will also have a guarantee. Even if they are malicious, they are not afraid of them with the ability of Butterfly Girls!"

"That's it!" Su Wanxin clapped his hands with his fist and made a decision. He said to Lao Huang outside the door, "Old Huang, go and invite the Butterfly Girl over, and invite the two guests to the main hall!"

3

In the main hall, Su Wanxin sat in the main seat, and Butterfly and Liao Zhongyan stood on both sides of him respectively. Old Huang led the two in and sat down to the guest seat. A maid brought tea and water, and then retreated. Only five people were left in the main hall.

The visitor had an old man wearing a black Taoist robe and a long white hair and beard, while the other was shrouded under a pink hooded cloak. He couldn't see clearly, but his figure was exquisite, so he should be a woman. Su Wanxin politely asked about the two of them for their title, but was rejected and had to give up.

"Two, I will quit etiquette and go straight to the point." Su Wanxin said, "How do you two know the dilemma of my Su family?"

"Ha, this matter of the imperial capital cannot escape my old eyes!" The old man with long beard stroked his beard and said, "Since the attack on Canglong Ridge, your Su family has suffered more than ten attacks from all over the past year, but none of them have allowed those thieves to succeed. However, your Su family has not taken the initiative to fight back and was beaten passively! I seem a little foolish, but my master said that Mr. Su is a man of great wisdom and knows how to choose. The master does not want to see the Su family being hurt, so he specially asked me to come and help."

When he heard the old man say "I can't bear to bear", Liao Zhongyan behind him was about to take off. Su Wanxin hurriedly raised his hand to stop him, waiting for the old man to finish his words. The old man's words made Su Wanxin and Liao Zhongyan's hearts stir. These are all secret matters, but the old man said it well, just as if the old man had been observing secretly and understanding the whole story.

"I dare to ask what the old man calls him!" Su Wanxin suppressed the shock in his heart and asked the old man.

"My owner does not want to be named, and it's better not to know!" said the old man, looking mysterious, "You just need to know, we can help you!"

"Pretend not to act!" But Liao Zhongyan behind him said, "You have unknown origin and dare not even report your name. How can it be convincing?"

"Brother Liao, don't be rude!" Su Wanxin yelled, and Liao Zhongyan hurriedly shut up. Su Wanxin's expression returned to normal, and then said to the old man, "Can you please tell me the method one or two! We can also make a weighing point."

The old man looked at Su Wanxin and nodded, "No wonder he can become the number one merchant in the prosperous Tang Dynasty! Then I will just say it. May I ask, Mr. Su is willing to bear this wealthy asset that is comparable to a country!"

Su Wanxin frowned. The current situation of the Su family was all because of this wealth. If possible, he wanted to give up without hesitation. In that case, although the Su family could be preserved, it fell into the hands of King Jingyang in another way. His intuition was very sharp. He had long felt that a large net was spread out around him and was waiting for him to let go. Once King Jingyang mastered the Su family's industry, it would be like a tiger adding wings. He might be ruined in this peaceful and prosperous era, and the people would be engulfed by war and displaced. He could not be a sinner in history.

"I'm not hiding it to you, Mr. Su has had this plan for a long time, but it's not easy!" Su Wanxin sighed, helpless.

"Mr. Su, don't worry, you just need to tell me if you have such determination!" The old man still looked like a fairy-like figure, and his words were inexplicable.

"Yes! If I can protect my Su family, what's wrong with taking it all!" Su Wanxin said, his eyes firmly.

"It's so good! Then let's say goodbye first, Mr. Su is waiting for the good news!" After that, he got up and walked out.

Su Wanxin and Liao Zhongyan were confused and had no idea what the old man sold in the gourd, while the butterfly beside him remained silent from beginning to end.

The old man walked out the door, but the man in a pink hooded cloak did not get along, but stood up and walked straight to the butterfly. Su Wanxin and Liao Zhongyan only felt the fragrance of wind blowing their faces and were refreshed.

A pair of plain hands stretched out from the cloak, took off the hat, revealing a peerless face, with snow-skinned and elegant appearance.

Su Wanxin was like a red top of five thunders at this moment. How could he not recognize the woman? It was the current empress. He hurriedly got up and knelt down, and Liao Zhongyan also knelt down together.

"The Caomin bowed to Your Majesty, but he didn't know that His Majesty had been here. There were many rude things just now. Please forgive me!"

"Please get up, two people, I didn't come as an emperor today, so there is no need to be too polite!" The empress's voice was pleasant and she couldn't hear the supreme majesty at all. She was a little kind. She looked at the butterfly and smiled sweetly, "Why don't you kneel on me?"

"You are the emperor of the mortal world, and I am not a person in the mortal world, so of course I don't have to kneel down!" Butterfly said with a smile, and she was also in a beautiful posture.

"Well, that's right! You have the aura of that person on you, but he is fine!" The empress whispered in her sweet voice, like a girl with a spring heart.

"Master is fine!"

"Well, that's good!" After that, the empress turned around and left. The old man had not left, and waited patiently for the empress to walk out of the door. Then he pinched the spirit decision with his hands, and the two disappeared in an instant.

"Hiss! It's Her Majesty the Empress!" Su Wanxin was sweating coldly and almost collapsed on the chair.

"Yes!" Even Liao Zhongyan had seen a person who had seen a strong storm like this, he swallowed silently, "Why is this empress so young? She is really old as the outside world said?"

"Miss Butterfly, is Mr. Dugu familiar with His Majesty the Empress?"

"I guess so!"

(End of this chapter)
Chapter completed!