Making you a son-in-law is not about making you conquer the world.

Chapter 749 Matchlock Gun

"Meet the General!"

People along the way bowed in worship.

Bai Tiantian, inside the golden armor, remained unmoved, and even the fine steed she rode continued to walk steadily.

The dozen or so guards around him all looked fierce and menacing, their long spears gleaming with a silver light that was somewhat dazzling.

"Is he the Great General?" Rou'er also knelt on the ground, her heart pounding in her throat.

Even with only a pair of eyes visible, its imposing aura is enough to intimidate.

Rou'er's hands were trembling uncontrollably, not only from the cold but also from fear.

Seeing that Bai Tiantian had already walked away, Rou'er's palms were sweating with anxiety.

"ah!"

With a flick of her jade-like fingers, a cold crossbow bolt shot out, piercing straight into Bai Tiantian's chest.

Considering Lin Ping's situation, she had to muster her courage.

Perhaps due to nervousness, or perhaps due to poor archery skills, the crossbow bolt completely deviated from its intended trajectory and whizzed past Bai Tiantian.

"Assassins! Protect the General!" The guard leader drew his longsword and immediately took control of the scene.

The civilians were terrified when faced with the guards who killed without hesitation.

Rou'er didn't hide well and was quickly discovered by the guards. She didn't even have the courage to run away.

The assassin who killed Bai Tiantian could have been executed on the spot without being sent to the Ministry of Justice for trial.

The fierce guards approached quickly, their cold swords pressed against her forehead.

Rou'er was terrified and her whole body was trembling.

Bang!

A dark bullet was fired from the slingshot pistol, directly blasting the head off Bai Tiantian's warhorse.

Lin Ping not only gave her a crossbow, but also a pistol, and earnestly emphasized that she should never use the pistol unless absolutely necessary.

This was probably a last resort; a second later and she would have become a victim of the sword.

"stop!"

The warhorse suddenly collapsed, but it did not cause Bai Tiantian any harm or even fright.

A crossbow bolt was commonplace for Bai Tiantian, but a bullet piqued his curiosity.

As a general of the current dynasty, he knew how precious pistols were.

A person who owns a handgun is no ordinary person and deserves his attention.

This was Lin Ping's strategy: to use assassination to make Bai Tiantian interested in Rou'er.

Otherwise, given her status as a maid, she wouldn't get Bai Tiantian's attention even if she shouted herself hoarse.

Bai Tiantian slowly approached, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Who sent you?" The icy words sent a chill down Rou'er's spine, leaving her speechless with fright.

"I'll ask you one more time, who sent you?"

Bai Tiantian had already turned around. His patience was very limited, and even out of curiosity about the musket, he wouldn't give Rou'er many chances.

"It's Lin Ping! He killed someone and is being tried in the government office!" Rou'er shouted, mustering her courage.

She didn't know who Lin Ping was, but these were the instructions given by her son-in-law, and she dared not omit a single word.

"Lin Ping? You've finally figured it out!" Bai Tiantian laughed loudly, more happy than ever before. "Let's go back to the manor!"

"What should we do with this assassin?" the guard leader asked, puzzled.

As his personal bodyguard, this was the first time he had seen Bai Tiantian smile, which suggested that she was in a good mood and would likely not make things difficult for the assassin.

"She's just a maid, let her be." Bai Tiantian waved her hand, indicating that she was letting Rou'er go.

"What do you mean? Are you going to help me or not? I'm very powerful!" Rou'er shouted.

Seeing that Bai Tiantian was determined to return to the manor, Rou'er mistakenly thought that the mission had failed and fired three shots in a row, all of which hit Bai Tiantian's armor.

"General..." the guard leader asked worriedly.

"Can't you understand what I'm saying?" Bai Tiantian snapped angrily.

Faced with Rou'er's frenzied attacks, he was not angry at all, but rather somewhat pleased.

"If it were ordinary armor, I'd probably be riddled with holes by now. Is this the power of a matchlock musket? Lin Ping, you've really impressed me!" Bai Tiantian thought to herself, a slight smile playing on her lips beneath her armor.

Before long, the bullets in the pistol were all gone, and Rou'er could only kneel on the ground in despair and wail.

"Waaaaah~~ Young Master Lin, Rou'er didn't complete the task you assigned." The little girl cried her eyes out, attracting a crowd of onlookers.

"Is this girl crazy?"

"I think he's gone mad, otherwise how could he dare to assassinate the general?"

"It's strange, why would the general spare her life? He probably thought she was too weak and posed no threat at all."

"Is that a toy she's holding? It looks really ugly."

The passersby kept mocking Rou'er, and had already come to regard her as a strange person.

At the government office,

Lin Ping had already been sentenced to death, and several soldiers were preparing to take him to the execution ground, where he would be beheaded at noon.

Zhang Yonglin was so happy he almost burst out laughing, but he couldn't, since his son had just died.

"Minister of Justice Han has arrived..." The soldiers outside the gate announced loudly, fearing that the prefect would be caught off guard.

Could anything be more unexpected?

The prefect's face turned pale. Regardless of whether Lin Ping was guilty or not, his way of handling the case was wrong. At the very least, the criminal should be given the opportunity to appeal.

He was merely a prefectural governor, a fourth-rank official, barely qualifying as a capital official. The Minister of Justice, on the other hand, was an official of three provinces, a second-rank official, and was in charge of criminal matters.

If he catches me red-handed, I could very well lose my job.

The other party hadn't visited for years, yet they appeared at this crucial juncture, giving the prefect every reason to suspect there was more to the story.

"This humble official pays his respects to Lord Han," the prefect said obsequiously, bowing deeply.

"So Lord Song knew that I was his subordinate," Han Yan, the Minister of Justice, said sternly, showing him no respect whatsoever.

This is the government office, and they are interrogating a prisoner. Hundreds of people are watching outside. The prefect feels like his face is being rubbed into the ground. Where will he have any authority in the future?

"Lord Han is a second-rank official, and I am a fourth-rank official, so naturally I am your subordinate," the prefect explained politely.

"Since you are a subordinate official, why don't you hand over major cases to your superiors? Do you think you are more capable than me?" Han Yan asked coldly.

Clearly, he came for Lin Ping.

Beads of sweat the size of soybeans kept dripping from his forehead, and he cursed Zhang Yonglin's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart.

They shouldn't have disregarded the law for a little money and sentenced Lin Ping to death.

"It's just the interrogation of a commoner, not a major case. How dare I offer Lord Han a meal in prison?" the prefect replied in a low voice.

"Before the law, there is no distinction of rank. This is a murder case, yet Lord Song doesn't consider it a major one," Han Yan said accusingly. "How did Lord Song's interrogation go?"

"The criminal has confessed and is about to be taken to the death row, awaiting execution in the autumn," the prefect said shamelessly.

Execution after the autumn harvest? If Han Yan hadn't come, Lin Ping's head would already be gone. How could he even say something like that?

"How come I heard that he is to be executed immediately?" Han Yan said coldly.

"It's already late autumn, the perfect time for executions," the prefect replied somewhat incoherently.

Is the practice of executing people in the autumn related to the solar terms? Does that mean killing people in winter is the best way to live an extra year?

"Lord Song, are you trying to make a fool of me?" Han Yan was furious, his eyes blazing with rage.