Jinwei, by the Haihe River, the rain fell as fine as silk.
A simple three-room thatched cottage stood by the river,
a circle of fence in front of the house, enclosing a garden of flowers and plants.
Behind the house was a bamboo forest, the tall bamboo swaying gently, exuding an emerald green vibrancy!
A woman in green clothes, holding an oiled paper umbrella, carrying a bamboo basket on her back, walked gracefully from the cobblestone path by the river.
A gentle breeze blew, making her skirt flutter.
It further accentuated her slender figure and graceful gait,
as if she had walked out of a painting of the misty and rainy Jiangnan!
After entering the cottage, she closed the oiled paper umbrella, then took down the bamboo basket from her back, opened the paintings and scrolls inside, and spread them out on the simple wooden table.
She was the extraordinary woman who went by the alias "Bei Zhai," renowned for her poetry and painting, her real name was Miao Xuan!
Her father had been falsely accused, and her family was either executed or sent into exile. She herself had almost been sold as a concubine, but she managed to escape and jumped into the Daling River, where she was rescued.
To avenge her family and eliminate Wei Zhongxian, she secretly served Chongzhen.
Chongzhen even said that if he ascended the throne, he would invite her into the palace to be his concubine, but she was well aware of the wickedness of court intrigues and did not take Chongzhen's bait, nor did she trust the promises of this younger brother of the Emperor.
Moreover, she had always remained chaste.
Later, Chongzhen indeed used her, along with Lu Wen Zhao, Ding Bai Ying, and others, as leverage, intending to eliminate them all at once.
After fleeing the capital, she remained in hiding for a while, but had nowhere else to go, so she took refuge in this cottage located in the suburbs of Jinwei.
A young woman with no other skills could only continue to make a living through poetry and painting.
However, she no longer used the name "Bei Zhai" for her paintings, but instead her real name, Miao Xuan.
Despite her caution, people still noticed traces of her brushwork in the paintings, from which they deduced that she was the former Bei Zhai, and reported it to Chongzhen.
Chongzhen, unwilling to have his past misdeeds exposed, ordered Zhao Jing Zhong to send people to kill her, ending the matter once and for all!
At this moment, she was still oblivious to everything. After returning from the Jinwei art gallery, she was about to dry the paintings that had been soaked by the rain and then go back to her room to rest.
As she was unfolding all the paintings and scrolls, she suddenly heard a click from the door behind her and hastily turned her head.
She saw a handsome man dressed in a Flying Fish Suit, a Spring-Embroidered Dagger hanging from his waist, standing at the door.
Chen Ran looked at Miao Xuan, a slight surprise flashed in his eyes.
He did not expect that the Bei Zhai of this world would actually resemble Da Mi Mi!
Even though she was wearing a wide green robe from the Ming Dynasty, it still couldn't conceal her stunning figure.
Upon seeing Chen Ran's Flying Fish Suit and Spring-Embroidered Dagger, Miao Xuan's face immediately showed a look of terror.
Without needing any explanation, she had already guessed that Chongzhen had tracked down her whereabouts and sent someone to kill her!
A stream of tears flowed from her beautiful eyes.
Tears like pearls rolled down her elegant cheekbones.
Chen Ran walked towards her.
Miao Xuan closed her eyes, as if ready to accept her fate of being killed.
However, she did not wait for the icy blade.
A warm hand gently wiped away the tears on her face.
“Don't be afraid, I won't kill you!”
Miao Xuan opened her eyes, looking at Chen Ran with a mix of surprise and disbelief.
This young Jinyiwei with sword-like brows and star-like eyes smiled gently at her:
“I'm here to save you!”
Miao Xuan was stunned.
She did not know this person.
Why would he not only not kill her, but also want to save her?
Chen Ran did not explain, but instead grabbed her hand and turned to walk outside.
At first, she resisted, trying hard to break free when he held her hand.
But Chen Ran's hand was like a vise, though not particularly forceful, she was still unable to break free.
Miao Xuan could only let him hold her hand obediently.
After walking a few steps, she felt that his hand was firm and warm, and it actually seemed to give her a sense of security.
Her heart, which had initially been filled with fear and resistance, transformed into an inexplicable trust in a short time.
They quickly reached the outside of the cottage.
In the drizzle, there were a dozen or so burly men in Flying Fish Suits standing outside the small courtyard.
These dozen Jinyiwei were Zhao Jing Zhong's backup!
He intended to have these men kill Chen Xuan after Chen Ran killed Miao Xuan!
Among the dozen or so men, the leader wore a short robe of a wandering swordsman, with a large Yulinjun Dao on his shoulder, it was Ding Xiu!
Ding Xiu looked at Chen Ran, his face full of murderous intent:
“Chen Baihu, you dare disobey Zhao Gonggong and the Emperor's wishes, and protect this woman. Today, this place will be your deathbed!”
Hearing this, Miao Xuan trembled in fear.
She just wanted to live out her days in obscurity, but the Emperor's butcher's blade had quickly caught up to her.
Just when she thought Chen Ran would not kill her, there were pursuers outside!
At this time, Chen Ran let go of her hand, then gently patted the back of her hand:
“Don't be afraid!”
After saying this, Chen Ran took a few steps forward, slowly drawing the Spring-Embroidered Dagger from his waist:
“If you want to kill me, you have to ask my knife first!”
Ding Xiu sneered, roaring:
“Attack, kill him!”
As soon as the roar left his mouth, the dozen Jinyiwei drew their swords and charged towards Chen Ran.
In the blink of an eye, three Jinyiwei rushed to Chen Ran, three steel swords slashing fiercely towards him.
Chen Ran snorted coldly, his Spring-Embroidered Dagger swept out, deflecting the three slashing swords, then with a swift slash, he chopped fiercely down on the chest of one Jinyiwei.
Blood splattered as the Jinyiwei was chopped open at the chest by Chen Ran, falling backward.
Before his body could hit the ground, Chen Ran twisted his wrist, his blade slanted upward, instantly slicing through the second Jinyiwei's abdomen, cutting his abdomen directly open, his intestines flying out with the blade!
Chen Ran killed two with lightning speed, while the other Jinyiwei, though startled, still charged fiercely, quickly surrounding him.
Just at this moment, Ding Xiu at the back suddenly drew the large Yulinjun Dao, slashing horizontally.
Clang…clang…
Two Jinyiwei's heads were instantly separated from their necks, with two streams of blood flying diagonally into the air.
The remaining ten Jinyiwei were stunned.
They thought it was a one-sided massacre, but now Chen Ran and Ding Xiu had turned on them!
Before they could recover, Ding Xiu had already slashed again, chopping one Jinyiwei in half from shoulder to right hip!
At the same time, Chen Ran's Spring-Embroidered Dagger slashed swiftly, killing two more Jinyiwei.
The remaining Jinyiwei's faces turned pale.
They had thought it was a one-sided massacre, but now Chen Ran and Ding Xiu had turned on them!
Seeing that their swords were sharp and that they were no match for them, several Jinyiwei turned around and ran.
Whoosh…whoosh…
But Chen Ran suddenly fired a few shots from his short crossbow!
The crossbow bolts pierced their bodies from behind, nailing them to the ground forever!
In just a minute, there were only five Jinyiwei left!
These five, holding their Spring-Embroidered Daggers, looked at Chen Ran and Ding Xiu, who were like killing gods, and they couldn't help but be terrified, their legs trembling as they backed away, saying:
“Don't…don't kill us!”
“We're all acting under the orders of Zhao Gonggong, please spare us!”
“There's no mercy for you!”
Ding Xiu sneered, his large Yulinjun Dao slashed horizontally, instantly deflecting the steel sword from one Jinyiwei's hand, and then the blade flew diagonally, piercing through the other's chest!
The blade, more than a meter long, continued its momentum, piercing through the chest of another man behind the first!
…
Finally, I'm asking for data.