Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 41 Betrayal by All

Just then, a cry rang out, and it was his two children who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion! It turned out that Bai Jin and his sister were sleeping on a small bed in the inner room when they were suddenly awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door. Outside, the servant Afu's voice was frantic: "Miss, Young Master! Get up quickly! Your father is going to take your uncle away! Your grandparents have begged him to stop, you two must go and see!" Upon hearing the word "uncle," Bai Jin perked up, quickly sat up, and hurriedly dressed. He went to the bed behind the screen and woke his sister, telling her what had happened. His sister, who also had a deep affection for her uncle, quickly jumped out of bed, dressed herself neatly, and then the two siblings opened the door. Although Afu was just a servant in the Xiang family, he knew everything about the Xiang family, understood A Jin's importance within the household, and even more so, understood his importance in Bai Jin's heart! Therefore, in a moment of quick thinking, he decided to ask Afu for help…

"Father, where are you taking my uncle?" When Little Platinum and her sister stood before him, tears welling in their eyes, uttering these words with immense sorrow, White Lightning was stunned. He thought to himself, "Who woke those two little kids in the middle of the night? This is going to kill me! I was already in a difficult position, and now this is even more embarrassing!"

Suddenly, Xiao Baijin threw herself into the arms of Old Madam Xiangge, crying loudly, "Grandma, why are you kneeling before my father? Grandpa, you too! Get up, get up! He's your junior, you shouldn't kneel before him!" Old Madam Xiangge felt a pang of sorrow in her heart and couldn't help but hug Xiao Baijin tightly, bursting into tears. Old Madam Xiangge shouted sternly, "What are you crying about? Don't let him look down on us!" The old lady, with snot and tears streaming down her face, scolded, "Even a five-year-old knows this principle, how come he doesn't understand the ways of the world, the experience of society? What sins did I commit in my past life to let my daughter marry such a scoundrel? It's truly a sin!" She couldn't catch her breath, her vision went black, and she collapsed to the ground! When Xiang Ge Lao saw this, he was shocked and hurriedly stood up, shouting repeatedly, "Quick, someone come and save the old lady!" Several maids and servants rushed over and carried the old lady into the inner hall to lie down. A Fu hurriedly ran out of the mansion to find a doctor to treat her.

Bai Shandian gritted his teeth: "A petty person is no gentleman, and a ruthless person is no hero! Anyway, things have come to this, there's no point in saying more! To obtain the 'Complete Guide to the Martial World,' and to successfully complete the task assigned to me by the Emperor, I have no choice but to become a villain abandoned by everyone!" With a determined heart, he picked up his stinky foot and strode away! Hong Yueliang followed closely behind. After Xiao Baijin and the others had settled her grandmother, she remembered her father and rushed out of the inner hall, only to find Bai Shandian gone. Furious, she screamed into the dark night outside, "Father, you're a bad person! I hate you—" Xiang Ge Lao, hearing the commotion, also rushed out of the inner room. Seeing the scene, he was shocked and rushed to the door. The waning moon had set, the night was even darker, the sky was deep, and the evening wind howled. Where was Bai Shandian?

As soon as they left the incense house, Red Moon said urgently, "If it weren't for Stinky Feet getting in the way, I would have already caught up with Thousand-Hand Guanyin and retrieved the wondrous book! Some of my companions have already gone after her, and I must find them quickly!" White Lightning was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "Why didn't you say so sooner? You've wasted so much time!" Red Moon sighed, "Stinky Feet was spouting nonsense about the Yangzhou Massacre just now. Her purpose was to attract our attention and deliberately delay us so that Thousand-Hand Guanyin could buy time to escape! Actually, this leader of the Moqing Society isn't just a figurehead; he's quite cunning!" White Lightning said urgently, "There's no time to lose. You go find your companions first. We'll part ways here! We'll meet in your living room tomorrow or the day after!" Red Moon curtsied and took her leave. White Lightning then escorted Stinky Feet back to the Hangzhou General's Mansion.

Upon arriving at the general's mansion, Bai Shandian ordered someone to wake Hongchen in the middle of the night. Although somewhat reluctant, Hongchen's spirits lifted at the sight of the unconscious, smelly foot lying on the ground. He immediately ordered the guards to pierce his shoulder and lock him back in the water dungeon in the backyard. With everything settled, the two went to the living room. Bai Shandian instructed him to be on high alert to prevent Mo Qing and his gang from attempting another prison break. He also ordered Bai Shandian to immediately mobilize all four thousand soldiers of the Eight Banners to surround the general's mansion in layers. Only then did Bai Shandian feel relieved and leave safely.

By the time he arrived at the post station, dawn was breaking. Having worked most of the night, he felt utterly exhausted and drowsy. He told the servants not to bring him breakfast and went back to his room to sleep. He collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep. He didn't know how much time had passed when he was suddenly awakened by a loud banging on the door. Still half-asleep, he sat up and cursed, "Which dog dares to be so bold as to knock on the door like that! They're asking for trouble!" Silence fell immediately outside. He called out several times, "Who is it?" but there was no answer. Feeling something was amiss, he quickly jumped out of bed, dressed, drew his imperial sword, and tiptoed to the window. With a sudden, powerful blow, he smashed the window with a single palm strike, and amidst the cracking sound of shattered wood, he leaped gracefully and lightly out of the window.

Upon landing, he was astonished to find over a dozen people standing outside the door, all dressed as ordinary people. There were strong, burly servants, clever and obedient maids, and a shrewd and astute advisor, standing on either side. A middle-aged scholar, wearing a scholar's cap and robe, stood in the center, surrounded by people on either side. His eyebrows were like silkworms, his eyes like stars, and he was tall and imposing. An innate air of authority and nobility emanated from him, making one feel as if they dared not breathe! Bai Shandian was terrified upon seeing him and hurriedly stepped forward, bowing deeply: "Your Majesty, what brings you here… This humble subject greets Your Majesty!" The man was indeed the current Emperor Qianlong! Seeing this, he laughed heartily a few times, then suddenly said sternly, "Why haven't you gotten up yet? Look outside, the sun is high in the sky, it's almost high in the sky!" Bai Shandian immediately knelt and kowtowed, begging for mercy! As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. Don't be fooled by Bai Shandian's previous swagger and arrogance in front of others. Once his master catches him red-handed, he'll be executed on the spot. This isn't just idle talk; there are countless examples of this in Chinese history!

"Rise! Let's talk in the living room!" With that, the Emperor turned and led his entourage away. Bai Shandian quickly rose and followed closely behind. Upon entering the inn's living room, the Emperor, without a word, took the seat of honor. Bai Shandian stood solemnly under the table, carefully attending to him. Several innkeepers peeked in from outside, wondering what had become of the usually arrogant and domineering Lord Bai. Why was he so timid, like a mouse before a cat, like a criminal? Who was this imposing, noble man? How could he be so frightened? Bai Shandian lowered his head and remained silent, but his eyes darted around. When he caught sight of the gloating looks on the faces of the constables, he became furious and shouted, "What are you looking at! Hurry up and serve the tea and snacks!" The constables had never expected Bai Shandian to have this skill. Without moving their heads, their eyes scanned the surroundings. They were all so frightened that they trembled and hurriedly retreated cautiously. Soon, tea and snacks were served and placed on the octagonal table.

"What have you been busy with lately?" Emperor Qianlong asked with a carefree smile, as if chatting casually. Bai Shandian stood with his head bowed, not daring to look up. He cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, this humble subject..." Qianlong interrupted him, saying in a low voice, "Don't address me like that! I'm traveling incognito and don't want to attract too much attention! Do you understand? How about this, you can call me Master Ai, just like everyone else. Haha!" It turned out that the Manchu Emperor Qianlong's real name was Aisin Gioro Hongli. Following the Han Chinese tradition, he used the homophone "Ai" (爱), which sounds like "Ai" (艾), hence the self-designation "Master Ai." Seeing how amiable His Majesty was, Bai Shandian gradually lowered his guard and became more witty and humorous. He raised his head and asked with a smile, "Master Ai, why didn't you give me a heads-up? I was caught off guard and couldn't greet you properly. Please forgive me!" Qianlong pointed at him and laughed, "Look at you, just like when you were a child, always speaking in such a flowery way, it gives people goosebumps! Let me tell you, Lightning, from now on, in front of outsiders, you don't need to refer to yourself as 'your humble servant,' lest you give yourself away! Just call yourself 'this humble servant' or 'I,' it's fine, don't be so reserved!" Bai Lightning hurriedly bowed and said, "Yes! Your subordinate understands!" Qianlong laughed again and said, "Hey, that works too, calling me 'your humble servant' is fine too!" A burst of laughter erupted in the hall, and people couldn't help but chuckle. This eased the atmosphere considerably.