Qin Yanzhou approached and first glanced at Dai Li. She was neatly dressed, her clothes undamaged, and it was obvious she wasn't injured. So he shifted his gaze to Shi Rongyue.
The young girl, like Dai Li, wore a black leather armor and a black hooded cloak over it. At this moment, the hood was on her head, and when she slightly lowered her head, the brim cast a dark shadow.
However, compared to Dai Li's neatness, she was much more casual. The hood was crooked. The left brim was flatter than the right, making the slightly upturned right side look like a little horn.
Dai Li was also observing her son, "Zhou Zhou, did everything go smoothly?"
"Everything went smoothly," Qin Yanzhou replied, turning his head to look at Shi Rongyue's hood.
He looked once, then looked again.
"As long as it's smooth, let's leave the city." The heavy stone in Dai Li's heart finally fell. She turned and continued walking forward, not seeing the young man behind her raise his hand at that exact moment to slightly lift the left brim of Shi Rongyue's hood.
Left and right were at the same height, finally symmetrical.
From the moment he raised his hand, Shi Rongyue stood frozen in place. Her amber-like brown eyes were as clear as a mirror, clearly reflecting the person in front of her.
First was his hand reaching over, appearing much larger as a result, and then that handsome face, as cold and clear as a high mountain ink painting.
The hood on her head was gently lifted a little. It was clearly a very light movement, but it seemed to bring a gentle spring breeze. Clothes couldn't block the breeze, and it seemed skin couldn't either. It blew through the skin into the bones, making them feel soft and crisp.
"Little Lady! We're setting off, we need to keep up," the maid urged anxiously, while muttering in confusion in her heart why the Little Lady suddenly looked as if she were drunk.
Shi Rongyue responded with an "Mhm," floating forward.
The maid was stunned.
Did she see wrong? The Little Lady's face, facing the moonlight, seemed red.
Even though all families were rushing out of the city at the same time and in the same direction, the journey out of the city was not easy.
For a moment, Dai Li felt like a wildebeest migrating in the African savanna, crossing a wide river full of Nile crocodiles.
Beside her were zebras and gazelles gathered together, trying to band together while keeping their guard up. And the giant crocodiles with sharp teeth attacked from both sides, opening their bloody mouths, dragging the prey away from the herd.
The air was filled with a strong, nauseating smell of blood.
"Clang—!"
A deafening sound of a blade beside her brought back Dai Li's wandering thoughts. She subconsciously turned her head and saw Qin Yanzhou standing beside Shi Rongyue, blocking a sneak attack.
The young man who had climbed out of piles of dead bodies did not have the burly physique of a strong man, but he was battle-hardened.
His black eyes were cold and sharp, and the hand holding the knife was as steady as Mount Tai. After intercepting the attack, he pressed the knife forward and then cleanly withdrew. Taking advantage of the opponent's inability to keep up, he swung the long knife horizontally and quickly slashed forward.
The sharp blade that had drunk its fill of blood was first wiped clean of its redness by the fierce wind, and then quickly coated with a dazzling color.
Dai Li quickly lowered her eyes.
No, the opponents were not terrifying Nile crocodiles, and they were not prey without the power to resist in the water.
Dai Li was a distance away from them. After seeing that her son clearly had the upper hand, she looked away.
But Shi Rongyue, who was close at hand, did not. She watched the attacker with spraying blood fall, her face paling a little. However, what occupied her eyes more was the slender figure under the moonlit night.
The young man turned his head to look, his face reflecting the moonlight seemingly softening a bit, "Don't worry."
Shi Rongyue's soul immediately returned, and she nodded heavily: "Mhm!"
One side of the hood brim that had just been adjusted a short while ago collapsed again.
Qin Yanzhou took another look, his long fingers holding the knife moving slightly.
...
"Stop them quickly! Damn it, quickly ride a horse to notify the guards at the East Gate, absolutely do not let them out of the city!"
The patrol received the order, and just as he was about to ride his horse to detour to the East Gate to pass the order, a long arrow flew out of the dark with a "whoosh," hitting the patrol directly in the back of the heart.
It was unknown whether the person was shot through, but the person fell straight down.
The Northern Army Lieutenant Zhong Zhuo's eyes were splitting, and the increasingly out-of-control situation was like a sharp saw, cutting his nerves again and again.
"Lieutenant, we can't, we can't stop them!" The adjutant was full of difficulties.
As the saying goes, an army burning with righteous indignation is bound to win. Tonight, these people knew that only by leaving the city could they survive, so how could they not hold their breath and rush out? Moreover, those who could enter the city with the provincial governors were all carefully selected good seedlings.
Zhong Zhuo grabbed the adjutant's collar, his face ferocious and twisted, "Even if you can't stop them, you have to! If they leave the city, tomorrow will be the day of your death and mine. Now, immediately, send someone to ride a fast horse to detour to the East City Gate to report!"
On this night with dim stars, if one looked down at the entire Chang'an City from high up, one could see a fire dragon moving from the south to the east.
The fire dragon was starving, very thin, and even quite short in size. It plunged into the black tide, wandering in the black water, its firelight flickering intermittently. The light was sometimes bright at the dragon's head, sometimes at the dragon's tail.
But no matter what, its goal was clear, and it never stopped.
The fast horse arrived at the East City Gate first. The city gate guards were already very curious about the noise in the city. Now, hearing the reason, their faces all changed drastically.
"The Lieutenant has ordered, defend the city gate to the death! Men, set up wooden fences, lay out two lines here, one in front and one behind. Shields behind the second obstacle, be sure to build a low wall."
"Where are the bows and arrows? Bring out all the bows and arrows, tonight we must shoot them into sieves..."
The patrol who rode ahead to arrive at the East City Gate quickly laid out the plan. Although the orders were passed down quickly, the one giving the orders was still uneasy.
For no other reason, the difficulty of opening the gate from different directions was completely incomparable.
If people were outside the city, they could only open the city gate with battering rams or scaling ladders, mostly using flesh and blood as steps to siege the city; but if they were inside the city, the biggest problem disappeared.
"Speed up, they are almost here."
*
Chang'an City, outskirts.
A bright moon hung in the mid-sky, shining its glowing light. The moonlight sprinkled on the roofs of thousands of households, fell on the boundless fields, and also fell on the heavily wooded mountains.
Changle Mountain, named after Changle Garden, was widely bathed in moonlight. The tree canopy was gently blown by the wind, looking like a leisurely old man in the afternoon waving a feather fan out of boredom, but under the tree canopy, it was far from as peaceful as it appeared.
A bloody pursuit began in the mountains. Blades flashed and swords shadowed, murderous intent boiling. Even the birds and beasts in the mountains were silent like cicadas in winter in this majestic sharpness.
After Qin Shaozong and Bai Jianping met up with the others, they rushed straight down the mountain.
"The Marquis predicted things like a god, there really are many ambushers in this mountain. Heh, fortunately we were prepared early, otherwise tonight we might have lost a layer of skin."
"Look at what you're saying, losing a layer of skin is an exaggeration. In the past, the Marquis was chased alone by the Wu family. He just turned around in the mountain then and killed all the pursuers cleanly. Now the Marquis is not single-handed, what is there to fear?"
"If the situation allowed, we could immediately kill our way back."
Feng Feng followed behind and to the side of Qin Shaozong. He did not talk and laugh with his comrades. Because he noticed that, apart from giving necessary orders and Governor Nangong taking the initiative to strike up a conversation, the superior hardly spoke.
Occasionally, when a few blind people jumped out to block the way, they were directly shot and killed by the superior drawing an arrow.
One arrow per person, never missing a target.
The force behind each arrow was extremely heavy, capable of flipping a man over. If he had used a heavy bow, it would have surely pierced through and pinned the person to a tree trunk.
The Marquis was in a bad mood.
"Marquis Wu'an, why are you so irritable?" Nangong Xiong's state of mind had calmed down significantly. Sooner or later, a choice had to be made, and taking advantage of the current situation wasn't a bad idea.
Fleeing together with Qin Changgeng and looking out for each other made for a much more stable relationship than an ordinary alliance. Hmm, if they could form a marriage alliance later, that would be even better.
Qin Shaozong did not speak, nor did he even look at Nangong Xiong.
Nangong Xiong continued, "Tonight Dong Zhou set a trap to kill you, so I imagine there will be similar disturbances within Chang'an City. But no matter how bad the situation gets, I don't think your wife and children will be in mortal danger."
Qin Shaozong shot him a cold sidelong glance.
Fine fragments of moonlight fell through the gaps in the forest leaves, casting constantly shifting, mottled shadows as they rode without a moment's pause. The man's brown eyes were dark and unreadable, like a snow blade with its sharp edge concealed.
Nangong Xiong immediately said, "Hey, what's with that look? Am I wrong? In the past, when the Supreme Emperor and the Hegemon-King faced off at Guangwu, the Supreme Emperor's family was captured by the Hegemon-King. The latter placed the Supreme Emperor's father on a chopping block, boiled water in a pot nearby, and declared that if he did not surrender, he would boil the old man alive..."
Nangong Xiong coughed lightly. "Regardless of how it ultimately ended, the point is that the old man's life was initially not in danger."
Because a living person's value is greater than a dead one's.
As long as Qin Changgeng's wife and children were captured alive, they could be used as bargaining chips for negotiation or even threats, which had many uses.
"Noisy," Qin Shaozong said expressionlessly.
Nangong Xiong's face darkened slightly. "You really don't know what's good for you. I'm trying to comfort you. My darling daughter is also in Chang'an City. When news comes back tomorrow, who knows, she might be staying in the same room as your wife."
Why would they stay together? Naturally, because they were all hostages.
Nangong Xiong continued, "Liu of Jingzhou has not yet arrived in the capital. I guess that if Dong Zhou captures our families, he will likely use them to command us to deal with Liu Zhan. When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits. Prime Minister Dong wants to be the fisherman behind the scenes..."
Saying this, he suddenly sighed bitterly, "My darling daughter is as beautiful as a flower. I hope she isn't unlucky enough to run into some idiots who think with their lower halves."
"Whoa." The horse was suddenly reined to a halt.
Seeing Qin Shaozong stop, Nangong Xiong called out to him in confusion, only to see the man silently pull the reins, actually looking as if he were about to turn back.
"Marquis Wu'an, what are you doing?" Nangong Xiong was greatly alarmed.
He was not the only one shocked; Kuang Ye and the others accompanying them were all horrified.
Having followed his superior for many years, Feng Feng instantly understood that he wanted to execute a sudden counterattack and go back to capture Dong Zhou. He immediately urged, "My Lord, you must not! Prime Minister Dong has numerous troops, and furthermore, he has the guards of Xu, Yan, and Si provinces. Turning back now is no different from walking right into a trap. The Madam is still waiting for you to rescue her. If you put yourself in danger again, I fear no one will be able to save her."
Kuang Ye also hastily said, "My Lord, Dong Zhou can die, but absolutely not now! If he dies by your hands, on this mountain, it will be very easy for people with ulterior motives to make an issue out of it, which will be greatly detrimental to your reputation."
They had been invited to a wine-tasting banquet.
No matter what the reality of this treacherous feast was, in the eyes of the general public, it was the powerful Prime Minister being hospitable, widely inviting the provincial governors, who rarely visited the capital, up the mountain for entertainment.
If the outcome was that the host was killed by a guest, the perpetrator would inevitably bear a bad name.
"My Lord, the Madam has shown great kindness to Qiao Wangfei; he will definitely protect her." Mo Yanyun lacked confidence; as a military general, refusing to surrender made one very likely to be killed. But he still had to advise, "The most urgent task right now is to hurry back to the military camp, assemble our troops, and then make further plans."
Nangong Xiong hissed, drawing in a sharp breath of cold air. Realizing belatedly that he had misspoken, he quickly advised, "Since the negotiations haven't concluded, they definitely won't touch a single hair on your esteemed wife's head. Don't be anxious."
Chang'an East City.
The wooden barricades previously set up at the east city gate had long been turned into powder and sawdust, and corpses lay strewn all over the place. Fresh blood meandered and converged on the bluestone bricks, looking like red snakes mating in the breeding season under the moonlit night.
The city gates were wide open. The corpses hanging upside down from the city walls swayed slightly in the night wind, as if bidding farewell to the travelers who had already galloped far away.
Daili and Shi Rongyue rode on the same horse, galloping toward the Xuanxiao Cavalry camp under the escort of Qiao Wangfei and the others.
They had not brought many military horses into the city, especially since Qin Shaozong had taken a batch away when he went to the banquet yesterday, so there were very few horses left tonight.
Some were their own horses, some were snatched from the city patrols, and others were borrowed from the Xu, Si, and Yan provinces.
They had managed to gather quite a few from outside, but even so, there were not enough horses for everyone to have their own, so two people sharing a horse was a common sight.
The Xuanxiao Cavalry camp was thirty miles outside the city.
Generally speaking, a horse's speed is about forty kilometers per hour. A fine steed can reach fifty or sixty kilometers, or even higher.
And for cavalry, this mere thirty miles could be covered in less than half an hour.
The military camp coiled in the suburbs was like a slumbering behemoth. At the hour of Yin, the giant beast suddenly awakened. It was as if a ladle of hot water had been poured into a pan of hot oil, crackling and exploding all over.
The one left to guard the military camp was the marching instructor, Jin Duole. Hearing the commotion, he got up in the night and rushed out without even having time to put on his outer coat.
Upon seeing Daili, Jin Duole's expression changed drastically. "Madam, what happened in the city? Why have you returned to the camp in the middle of the night?"
Daili reined in the horse. Shi Rongyue was sitting in front of her, making it easier for her to dismount from the back, so she got down first. "There was an incident in the city. The Chang'an patrols tried to enter our residence at night under the pretext of catching thieves. The intruders harbored unpredictable intentions, and the Marquis had gone to the banquet. After thinking it over, I decided it was best to bring our people back first."
She said this lightly, but stormy waves surged in Jin Duole's heart.
How could leaving the city at night be easy?
Not to mention that since the other party had a plan, they must have made quite a few preparations...
"Many soldiers were injured tonight. Arrange for medical treatment first." After Daili finished speaking to him, she wanted to help Shi Rongyue, who was still on the horse, get down.
But when she turned her head, she found that the young girl had already dismounted, and Qin Yanzhou, who was holding the reins, was by her side. After dismounting, Shi Rongyue looked at the person in front of her, her large eyes brighter than the moon in the sky.
Daili paused, inexplicably feeling a trace of strangeness, but she was too tired tonight.
First, she hadn't slept soundly, then she was jolted awake halfway through her sleep, then she had to deal with the patrol leader, and finally break out of the city. Her nerves had been taut the whole time, terrified that one wrong step would ruin everything.
Now that she was back at the military camp, Daili, finally relaxing, only wanted to sink into her fluffy quilt and get a good night's sleep.
Daili composed herself and briefly told Jin Duole about the temporary alliance with Qingzhou. Then she tilted her head and looked at Nangong Zijin, whom she had conveniently brought back with her. "...The young lady of the Nangong family is here as a guest this time. Sir, please do not neglect her."
Jin Duole nodded solemnly. "I will remember."
Having instructed everything, the cooks had just finished setting up her small tent. Daili immediately entered the tent, pulled off her cloak, removed her outer garments, threw herself onto the soft couch, and closed her eyes to sleep.
Her sleep had not been particularly restful. Toward the end of it, she seemed to hear cheering, as though someone was being triumphantly welcomed back. The sound was like the rising tide, surging against her eardrums in overlapping waves, yet it remained muffled and indistinct.
Then, in a single moment, like a wave crashing heavily against the rocks, it suddenly swelled over her, wrapping her up so tightly she could barely breathe, binding her, pulling her in.
And in that very instant, all those formless sounds suddenly took on a physical sensation. Accompanied by a rush of hot breath, it landed on the tip of her ear, brushing against her skin again and again, before finally melting into a single murmur:
"My lady."