Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 522 - 513: Thrilling

Chapter 522: Chapter 513: Thrilling

Chu Lingqi frowned and said, "Everyone should prepare and secure their windows and doors, and find somewhere to hide, just in case. Rest assured, even if something does happen, we won’t let those people into the courtyard."

Next, Manager Luo led some guards into the Inner Courtyard. He silently instructed the women, "The men are all prepared, don’t be afraid. Don’t light any lamps, don’t make a sound, lock your doors and windows, and find a hiding place."

The so-called "hiding places" were places like cabinets, under the bed, or in piles of firewood.

Chen Afu quietly said to Hong Fei, Xiao Hong, Mrs. Huang, and Qi’er, who wanted to follow her into the main room, "The main room is too conspicuous, it’s best to hide in the side rooms."

Hong Fei knew that the main room had a hidden room. But the hidden room wouldn’t be big, definitely not enough to hide so many people, so she took Xiao Hong and a few others to find a place to hide.

The others didn’t know about the hidden room, so they were reluctant to go first. Mrs. Huang said, "We can’t leave the old lady and young mistress behind. I must take the young mistress with me."

Hong Fei whispered, "There are plenty of places to hide in the main room for the old lady and the young mistress."

Understanding, Mrs. Huang guessed that there might be a secret room in the main house and she also took Xiao Hong and Qi’er to find a place to hide.

Chen Afu quickly entered the main room. For safety, Chu Hanyan was staying in her bedroom.

She made sure the doors and windows were secure, and then woke up the young girl. Without striking a lamp, she scattered for her clothes in the faint moonlight and told the young girl, "Don’t be afraid, the hiding place is safe."

The little girl remembered the incident from last New Year’s Eve and began to cry. Hearing Chen Afu’s hush, she quickly covered her mouth and sobbed, "Mother, I’m scared."

Chen Afu kissed her face and quietly comforted her, "Don’t worry, no one will find the little room where you’ll hide."

The secret room in this house was behind the big wardrobe. Chen Afu opened the cupboard, removed a block of wood from the inside, revealing a rectangular hole, barely enough for two adults to fit. Chen Afu put a blanket as a padding, then wrapped the young girl in a blanket, and sat her in the hole, saying, "Don’t be afraid, you can sleep in here for a while. Remember, if you hear anything, don’t make a sound."

The little girl grabbed Chen Afu and asked, "But what about you, mother?"

Chen Afu replied, "I’ll be right outside with you, don’t worry. Your mother will hide under the bed, no one will find her."

Chen Afu has the space gem, she can hide in it whenever she is in danger. Therefore, she wanted to remain outside, to monitor any sudden events.

After she finished speaking, she covered the hole with the piece of wood, put the removed clothes back in, and closed the cabinet door.

Chen Afu stood by the window, removed her jade hairpin, and pierced a hole in the window paper. Winter window paper is particularly thick, and it was not easy to poke a hole with her finger.

She peered outside. The number of people in the courtyard slowly decreased until the place was entirely quiet. All the women found places to hide, and some guards also hid in the shadows, ready to strike at the enemy any time.

The night was extremely quiet. Chen Afu feels she could hear her heartbeat.

Was this the calm before the storm?

Jin Yanzi, who was always attentive to the movements in the spatial jewel, said again, "The enemies have already reached the bottom of the mountain. They’ve entered the woods on the east side and the north side. Alas, all the birds in the trees have been startled by them."

Chen Afu was startled, did their enemies climb the trees?

Right then, a sudden round of shouting and killing echoed in the air. Shortly after, heaps of objects were thrown into the courtyard, immediately filling the area with the fragrance of pine. Then, several arrows ignited with fire were shot in.

In an instant, the courtyard was overwhelmed with flaming figures. The dry weather and the wind immediately fanned the flames, setting the trees and the windows of the side rooms on fire. The hidden guards hurried out to extinguish the fire, some of them lashing at the flames with tree branches while others went to the backyard well to get water.

Chen Afu’s heart sank. These people were not barging into the court to capture and kill people, but to set fires in an attempt to burn them to death. The instigators were not likely to be remnants of the Second Prince, as they would prefer to capture Liao Chen alive. The culprit must be Lady Ma and Rong Zhao, as they were the ones who most desired Liao Chen’s death.

She turned around to check the large wardrobe, if the house caught fire, the person hiding inside wouldn’t survive. Even if they were rescued, they’d most likely be disfigured.

Chen Afu clenched her fists. These people were too wicked. They had stolen other women’s men, chased away their children, and left them with no choice but to leave home, yet they were not satisfied and wanted to eradicate everyone. This revenge had to be avenged. And that selfish emperor who keeps breaking his promises, why doesn’t he just die already!

Chen Afu cursed in her heart, then opened a window and told a guard, "Protect the West Cross Courtyard, don’t let that place catch fire."

The guard said, "Madame, rest assured, that place is being protected."

At this moment, a plum tree outside the window also caught fire, and the flames started to spread towards the window bars in front of her. Chen Afu hurriedly fetched a basin of water from the washroom to splash on the window. The guards put out the flames on the plum tree.

Chen Afu opened the wardrobe and took the little girl out. Seeing the fiery courtyard, the girl cried out again in fear. Chen Afu quickly covered her eyes with her hand.

Because the Luo’s Manor was prepared, the troops living in the village got the news and arrived, so the battle ended in less than half an hour. The people outside the courtyard had eliminated all the enemies, and the people inside the courtyard also gained control over the fire, except for one room in the back which had suffered severe damage due to it being a small Buddha hall containing many candles and incense sticks, and it was located in the back.

Once the danger was over, Chen Afu shouted to a guard outside the window, "Go tell the Second Master and Manager Luo to keep a living person."

Then, she led Chu Hanyan out of the main room. Liao Chen, escorted by a young nun, came out of the West Cross Courtyard. Seeing the disarray in the courtyard, the dense smoke rising from the backyard, and smelling the pungent smell of pine oil and char, Liao Chen wept again. This time, her regret was genuine.

As daylight broke, Chu Lingqi, Manager Luo, and Captain Li arrived at the Inner Courtyard, regretfully informing Chen Afu that they hadn’t captured a single enemy alive. They initially caught two, but they both died half an hour later, they must have consumed poison beforehand.

It seems that around forty people had come this time; some had thrown pine oil-soaked torches into the courtyard, while others shot flaming arrows into the courtyard.

Fortunately, the Luo Manor was prepared so the number of torches thrown in was not very high. During the fight, the enemies lost thirty-five men, and the two captured alive later died. Few managed to escape into the mountains. Although a search party was sent into the mountains, there was little chance of finding and capturing any alive.

Liao Chen asked again, "Did any of our people die?"

Captain Li replied, "We have many men on our side. Fortunately, no one died this time, a few brothers were injured, and a maid hiding in the small Buddha room was burned."

As long as no one died, it was a relief. If more people had died, Liao Chen would be even more distressed.