"Open the city gates! I am the Princess Consort!" Xiao Wenxi reined in her horse before the moat outside the city gates, shouting loudly.
She had used a token to exit the city earlier, yet now the gates remained shut.
The ramparts above were heavily guarded. The garrison commander's face was half-obscured by darkness and half-illuminated by torchlight, making his features indistinct. He responded in a gruff voice, "The city was recently attacked. The governor has ordered the gates sealed. The Princess Consort remains in the manor—what petty impostor dares claim her title?"
"I am the Princess Consort of Shu Southern Royal Manor, appointed by His Majesty! I hold the royal token! How dare you rebellious traitors spread such lies!" Xiao Wenxi raised the token high.
The guards on the tower ignored her, even firing a stray arrow that would have struck her horse had Zha Pu not reacted swiftly.
"Sir, we must storm the gates. Otherwise, the Shu Southern Royal Manor will face disaster—the young lord is still inside," Xiao Wenxi urged anxiously.
Zha Pu’s expression turned grave as he observed the guards nocking arrows, ready to strike. He cautioned, "Your Highness, we number only a few dozen. Though skilled, breaching the gates would be nearly impossible."
"Sir, before the prince departed, he seemed aware of unrest. But the Tibetan crisis left no time for elaborate preparations," Xiao Wenxi explained hurriedly. "Besides entrusting me with the token, he left me a private garrison. I’ve sent the Signal Flare—they’ll arrive within two ke."
"Then we should withdraw and await reinforcements," Zha Pu suggested.
Xiao Wenxi agreed. They retreated to a safe distance, monitoring the gates closely.
Roughly two ke later, the thunder of heavy hooves approached—a group of sturdy young men in tight black attire galloped into view. Their appearances might have been unremarkable, but their eyes held a chilling intensity unlike ordinary soldiers.
Zha Pu scanned the seven to eight hundred men and their steeds. "The prince left you only the finest."
Both horses and riders were exceptional—each capable of holding their own against two regular soldiers.
"The prince’s foresight is profound. He likely anticipated turmoil in the city after his departure," Xiao Wenxi smiled in relief. "Time is short, Sir. We must attack quickly—I fear for the young lord’s safety."
Zha Pu nodded. They charged the gates once more, where the guards now stood in full battle readiness, viewing those below as outright enemies.
"Open the gates now, and I may show leniency!" Xiao Wenxi shouted.
"Leniency? By what authority do you judge a military commander?" A mocking voice drifted through the night air—one familiar to many.
Xiao Wenxi stiffened, turning toward the sound. In the flickering torchlight, a slender figure emerged from the shadows.
She wore a lapel-robed attire, her dark hair half-bound and secured by a simple jade hairpin. Elegant tassels framed her temples, level with her resolute brows.
"You..." Xiao Wenxi paled at the sight of the familiar face, as if an invisible hand had seized her throat, rendering her speechless.
Bu Shulin—she was the true Bu Shulin!
Zha Pu, who had never known Bu Shulin was a woman, stared at the familiar face and unfamiliar attire before exclaiming, "Who are you?""Me?" Bu Shulin raised her hand to adjust the dangling pearl by her eyebrow. "I am the twin sister of the Prince."
This was the story Bu Shulin had long agreed upon with Cui Jinbai and had already reported to Shen Xihe. She was to marry Cui Jinbai, and with the Crown Prince's return date unknown, their victory today meant the infant Crown Prince's grandson would ascend the throne before his first birthday. A child ruler would inevitably stir the greed of court officials, making it impossible for Cui Jinbai to abandon his duties now.
As Cui Jinbai was returning to the capital to assist the young emperor, Bu Shulin—following the principle of a wife accompanying her husband—could not remain hidden. Moreover, she and Cui Jinbai had a child who must be entered into the Cui family registry. Thus, she had no choice but to fabricate another daughter for her deceased father.
"Nonsense! The Prince never had a twin sister! What demon are you, disguised as the Prince?" Xiao Wenxi angrily retorted, turning to Zha Pu. "Sir, she must have bewitched the city's garrison commanders."
"Ha ha ha ha..." Bu Shulin laughed recklessly, gazing at the woman she had once exchanged wedding vows with, her heart filled with complex emotions.
Fortunately, they had encountered Shen Xihe. Though Bu Shulin considered herself somewhat clever, she truly couldn't see through such profound cunning and disguise.
When she first received Shen Xihe's eagle message expressing suspicions about Xiao Wenxi, Bu Shulin even wondered if Shen Xihe had misjudged.
Xiao Wenxi had hidden herself too perfectly from start to finish—never harming them, always appearing cultured, understanding, perceptive, and consistently offering help...
"Zha Pu, who commands in Shu?" Bu Shulin suddenly asked.
Zha Pu froze for a moment—this was a coded phrase. He immediately waved his hand, and over twenty men swiftly dispersed, forming a semicircle with weapons drawn toward Xiao Wenxi and her several hundred followers.
The Bu family's Hidden Guards recognized coded phrases, not tokens. Xiao Wenxi's face changed color; she seemed to realize something but remained silent, indicating she didn't know the token's password.
"Sir, don't listen to her demonic lies! The Prince left in haste and never—"
"Why struggle pointlessly in your death throes?" Bu Shulin, standing atop the city tower, waved her hand.
The city gate dropped, and the armored cavalry waiting behind it instantly charged across the moat bridge. The powerful hoofbeats drummed relentlessly against the bridge.
Bu Shulin spread her arms and leaped from the tower, her sword tracing a cold arc as she engaged the leader of Xiao Wenxi's forces.
Did they think less than a thousand men could seize her Prince of Shunan's city?
Bu Shulin's blade rose and fell, blood spraying as she vented her fury and lingering fear.
If not for Shen Xihe seeing through their plan early—if they'd truly let Shen Twenty-Seven take all their forces away to reinforce others—these invaders might have easily taken the city.
A long sword swept toward her. Bu Shulin arched backward to dodge, but the blade still sliced off the left side of her temple ornament. Her eyes flashed with ferocity as her strikes grew more ruthless.
How she longed to dress as a man again!
But Cui Shitou had insisted that if she didn't want to expose her identity and draw suspicion toward Shen Twenty-Seven, she could no longer masquerade as male. She could still wear men's clothing, but only in the open manner of capital noblewomen wearing lapeled robes, with makeup that didn't conceal her femininity.
Bu Shulin scoffed at this—Cui Shitou was just jealous that when she dressed as a man, she was more popular than him in Heishui.
All those enchanting, flower-like maidens became utterly infatuated with her dashing, heroic presence.After settling his son, Cui Jinbai rushed from the city to find the battle clearly decided. His restless wife, her face twisted in a ferocious yet exhilarated grin, was still slaughtering enemies...
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