"Hey Lao Feng, don't you think the Lord's mood is quite bad today?"
"More than just bad, it's absolutely terrible. I just saw Lao Mo get scolded. Even though Lao Mo was a bit reckless just now, given the Lord's usual demeanor, he would at most glare at him. He wouldn't have a tongue dipped in poison like he did just now."
"So what exactly happened to make the Lord's mood plummet from the mountain peak to the gutter in just one night? Could it be those two court officials causing trouble?"
"Impossible, mere bookworms aren't worth mentioning."
...
Lao Feng and Bai Jianping huddled together, muttering to each other, but despite their long discussion, they couldn't figure out the reason.
After breakfast, the group set off again.
During this time, Dai Li didn't say a single word to Qin Shaozong, nor did she look him in the eye. Once she was full, she boarded the carriage with Shi Rongyue.
Qin Shaozong, on the other hand, glanced at Dai Li several times. Once, he even tried to step forward to speak with her, but Dai Li noticed and pulled Shi Rongyue away to avoid him.
Lao Feng and the others, observing secretly, suddenly realized the truth: the Lord and the Mistress were having a conflict.
No, or rather, it seemed the Lord had angered the Mistress.
Shi Rongyue had also picked up on this signal.
The young girl followed Dai Li into the carriage. When Dai Li wasn't looking, she tugged at her skirt with a worried expression.
Second Aunt is in a bad mood; now is not a good time. I don't know when the bandit suppression operation will take place, but I hope it won't be too soon...
"Rongrong?"
Shi Rongyue shivered and subconsciously straightened her back, calling out, "Here!" Realizing she had overreacted, her earlobes turned red with a mix of guilt and shyness.
Dai Li, who had been in a foul mood this morning after being overtly and covertly bothered by Qin Shaozong, now smiled. "What were you thinking about just now? Did Rongrong have a sweet dream last night and was just reminiscing?"
Shi Rongyue said dryly, "I guess so. But I don't remember the details, I just vaguely feel it was wonderful."
"Dreams really aren't easy to remember clearly," Dai Li agreed deeply.
The carriage began to move, passing through the small county town's morning market. The shouts of vendors and the haggling of pedestrians drifted in from outside the curtains, full of the lively atmosphere of everyday life.
Dai Li lifted a corner of the curtain. The spring morning breeze blew in, carrying a refreshing coolness that swept away the rest of her irritation.
Shi Rongyue sighed in admiration, "How wonderful!"
Hearing her, Dai Li turned her head. In the sunlight streaming into the carriage, the fine peach fuzz on the young girl's cheeks was clearly visible, and the orange hair ribbon on her head curled slightly in the wind. At this moment, her large eyes crinkled contentedly, looking like a melted orange cat pancake basking in the sun.
"Rongrong, is this your first time traveling far from home?" Dai Li asked with a smile.
"The furthest place I've been to before is Yuyang. If we don't count Yuyang, then yes!" Shi Rongyue answered honestly.
"This trip to Chang'an will take at least two or three months round trip. Plus, you arrived in Yuyang in the autumn, so you'll be away from home for at least half a year. Will Rongrong be homesick?" Dai Li teased her on purpose. "If you secretly cry in bed at night, I'll have no choice but to send someone to rush you back to Hongying on horseback."
Shi Rongyue's words, "I do miss it a little bit," got stuck in her throat. She hurriedly said, "I won't cry. I've had my coming-of-age ceremony, and after that, a young lady can leave home. I can't always cling to my mother, otherwise, I wouldn't feel right about it either."
Dai Li was dazed for a moment. "How could that be?"
Shi Rongyue suddenly realized something. Pretending to tuck her hair behind her ear, she pinched her earlobe, striving to calm herself. "Growing up means having the tasks and responsibilities of an adult; I can't let my parents toil for me my whole life."
Dai Li snapped back to reality, slowly lowered her eyes, and didn't reply to that.
Shi Rongyue was anxious on the inside, but since Dai Li didn't speak, she couldn't rashly continue.
She could only wait helplessly.
However, until the carriage drove out of the county town, Shi Rongyue couldn't find another opportunity. The little torch in her heart grew dimmer and dimmer, until it finally went out with a poof.
Shi Rongyue: "..." Boohoo.
*
Over the next six days, the group's itinerary was managed exceptionally well. They departed in the morning and accurately settled in a township or village when the sun set in the west.
The turning point occurred on the seventh day.
After leaving a certain small village, the next county town to the south was very far away. Even though the group was equipped with fine steeds, it was difficult to reach the destination in a single daylight period. Therefore, at dusk, the group halted in the wilderness.
Setting up camp always requires being near water, and large river channels in the north are much scarcer than in the south. Since great rivers were hard to find, they located a small river about ten feet wide and set up camp not far from it.
This expedition used an especially large number of carriages. In addition to ordinary luggage, there was a batch of carriages specifically used to transport the tents.
The tents were mostly made of leather and cloth brushed with tung oil to block the wind and rain. In rainy and humid seasons, wooden boards even needed to be laid underneath to prevent dampness.
However, spring rain is as precious as oil, so the step of laying wooden boards was skipped.
The soldiers were nimble, and soon tents were pitched one after another, forming a square. Shen Tianming, Guo Nai, and their men occupied one side of the square, while the others from the North occupied the other three sides.
Dai Li and Qin Shaozong slept in the same tent, with the main tent situated right in the center. Next door was the small tent of the brothers Qin Yanzhou and Qin Qinian, and on the other side was Shi Rongyue.
After dinner, Dai Li entered the tent to rest.
Over the past few days, she had spoken very little to Qin Shaozong, not saying a single extra word to him unless necessary. As for this necessity, there was only one situation: when the people from the imperial court happened to come over.
"It's been several days, is Madam still angry?" Qin Shaozong followed Dai Li into the tent.
Dai Li ignored him.
Qin Shaozong said helplessly, "I was wrong before. I won't say those things to Qin the Second in the future, alright?"
Dai Li couldn't hold back and scolded him, "You've already said everything you shouldn't have. What's the use of promising me now?"
Qin Shaozong suppressed the upward curve of his lips and didn't speak. Instead, he suddenly reached out and pinched Dai Li's waist. She completely hadn't expected this move.
Her waist was incredibly ticklish. Being pinched by him so unexpectedly, she couldn't maintain her serious expression and let out a laugh.
Dai Li: "..."
Qin Shaozong forcefully pulled her into his arms, rubbing his jaw against her cheek. "How much anger is still left in Madam's stomach? Let me pinch again and see if you'll smile some more."
"Qin Changgeng, you are so annoying." Dai Li swatted his hand.
They had set up a small tent, which couldn't compare to a private room in a relay station. The space was very small, only big enough for a soft cot. Thus, Qin Shaozong, who had slept on a small cot for six days, was finally able to sleep in a bed together.
Well, although this bed was very crude, Qin Shaozong didn't care at all.
As soon as he lay down, he closed his eyes and reached out his hand to the side. Once he scooped up that soft lump, he rolled her into his embrace, embedding her firmly in his arms, and then, not surprisingly, received a kick to his calf.
Qin Shaozong didn't even open his eyes. "How does the old saying go? Couples fight at the head of the bed and make up at the foot of the bed. Since Madam is still burning with such anger, why don't we have a fight?"
As he spoke, the large hand gripping her waist slid downwards suggestively.
Dai Li grabbed his rough palm. "Stop messing around."
A small tent was even less soundproof than a room; if they made too much noise, the people next door would probably hear them. If she were to have a tryst with him in the tent tonight, Dai Li felt she would end up smothering Qin Changgeng to death with a pillow in the middle of the night, and then throw him into the river to destroy the evidence.
His well-defined fingers spread open and intertwined with hers. At the same time, his kisses fell on the tip of her ear one after another. "It's been six days, Madam. We've already left Youzhou. Could you please let your anger go?"
"Go to sleep." Dai Li pulled the blanket up and covered his head.
...
Tonight, there were neither stars nor a bright moon. The sky above seemed to be covered by a heavy black veil. Crows flapped their wings and flew past, their ghost-like shadows completely blending into the darkness, leaving only their cawing to be heard without a trace of them to be seen.
The square campsite set up by the river was lit with fire pits and torches, resembling precious, glittering pearls in the dark night.
On the low eastern hills not far from the camp, there was a rustling movement.
"The Marquis of Wu'an and his men have made camp. Looking at their formation, they have about three hundred men, more than twice our number."
"Our main objective this time is to kill the imperial messengers. If the situation turns sour, retreat immediately. Do not drag out the fight."
"Commander, there are only twenty or so imperial men. I'm afraid they will be difficult to distinguish..."
"It won't be hard. The imperial mole just sent word that they are stationed on the north side. As long as the imperial court suffers heavy casualties this time and most of their men die on the way back to Chang'an, it will be hard for the Marquis of Wu'an to avoid suspicion. After all, the North is his territory." The man sneered. "Pass down the order: we move at the Yin hour. If anyone is captured alive, they must insist that they are greenwood outlaws and do not serve anyone."
The rustling sound slithered through the grass like a snake and quickly faded away.
Deng Qianfeng looked at the distant fires, his gaze dark and unreadable.
This was Jizhou territory, Qin Shaozong's domain. They couldn't mobilize too many soldiers here. No, more accurately, the men could come, but not their weapons.
Every city gate had patrols that inspected travelers' luggage. Weapons, especially fine swords and sabers that were obviously meant for combat, could not be brought through.
If discovered without the proper paperwork, not only would the weapons be confiscated, but the carrier would likely be thrown in prison.
Of course, bypassing the cities to avoid the gate inspections wasn't impossible. But when traveling, one always needed to eat, drink, and rest, and those supplies could only be found within the cities.
If they carried their own baggage and supplies, they could bypass the gates and penetrate deep into the North, but traveling with so many heavy bags carried a certain risk of being discovered by city patrols or real mountain bandits.
Therefore, even after planning this for a long time, they had only managed to bring in a little over a hundred men.
A cool breeze swept by, and the dark clouds in the sky shifted. The full moon briefly peeked out, only to hide back into the clouds at the end of the Chou hour.
Right at the Yin hour, the night was pitch black and the wind blew high.
A group of dark figures holding blades hunched over, lowering their bodies to hide in the grass as they advanced, rapidly closing the distance.
A bird whistle chirped twice, and a row of archers took their positions.
The bowstrings were pulled taut, emitting a creaking sound. With another drawn-out bird whistle, arrows rained down.
"Ah—"
...
Inside the tent.
Qin Yanzhou's eyes snapped open. He quickly grabbed the longsword resting by his pillow and flipped to his feet in a single bound.
At this moment, Qin Qinian, who was beside him, also woke up. "What was that sound just now?"
Almost as soon as his words fell, a loud shout came from outside:
"Enemy attack! We're under attack!"
"Preposterous! To dare attack us while we're still in the North, they really don't know the meaning of death! Just you wait, brats, your daddy is coming to teach you a lesson right now." The furious youth didn't even bother tying up his hair before grabbing his sword and rushing out.
When Qin Qinian went out, the tent flap flew up, and Qin Yanzhou saw a steady stream of soldiers wielding weapons stepping out of their tents, clearly preparing to meet the enemy in battle.
Four words suddenly flashed through his mind: Execute first, report later.