The night was deep, and the soldiers of the Garrison Battalion stationed atop the southern gate tower of Lin'an were drowsy and nodding off.
Suddenly, two fast horses galloped swiftly through the dark streets, the sound of hooves abruptly breaking the silence. The Garrison Battalion guards both on and below the tower were startled. In the wind and snow, everyone raised their torches, squinting to see. Before long, they spotted two figures in imperial guard uniforms riding rapidly toward them.
"It's so late—why are more people from the imperial guards coming?"
As they spoke, the hoofbeats reached the foot of the gate tower. The imperial guards on horseback did not dismount but called up to the tower, "Any unusual activity at the gate?"
The Garrison Battalion captain on night duty stepped forward. "None at all. It's so late, and the gates have been closed for hours. Nothing out of the ordinary."
The two on horseback exchanged glances but did not immediately turn to leave. The captain called out suspiciously, "Brothers, what's going on? Has something happened?"
One of the imperial guards replied, "A fire site was discovered in the southern part of the city. Two people were burned to death—it's highly likely to be the Crown Princess. The deputy commander sent us to keep watch at the gate. He suspects the Empress and the Crown Prince might try to leave the city tonight…"
Hearing that the Crown Princess had been burned to death, all the Garrison Battalion soldiers felt a chill of horror.
The next moment, the two Imperial Guards dismounted and began ascending the gate tower.
The captain frowned, about to say something, but upon seeing their conspicuously distinguished imperial guard uniforms and the waist tokens hanging at their belts, he swallowed his words. The imperial guard who had spoken earlier continued as he climbed the wall, "All four city gates must be strictly guarded. Don’t let your guard down just because it’s late. If anyone escapes, our deputy commander will face consequences, and none of us will be spared…"
By the time he finished speaking, they had reached the top of the tower. This was originally the Garrison Battalion’s territory. When Prince Rui and Zhao Yu had been here with their men, it was one thing, but now even two imperial guards were acting without regard for protocol. The captain felt discontented but understood these two were here on orders—partly to inspect, partly to assert authority. After a moment’s thought, he deferentially offered a warm water pouch. Having the Imperial Guards here might not be so bad; if anything went wrong, the responsibility wouldn’t fall on him alone.
With the arrival of the two Imperial Guards, the others instantly lost their drowsiness. However, the wind and snow were too heavy, and aside from those stationed on the tower, the rest had returned to the barracks below. After another half-cup of tea’s time, two torches suddenly lit up the pitch-black official Path outside the city. The captain was the first to notice, leaping up in alarm. "Look! What is that…"
In the dark, stormy night, two torches were burning outside the city. Not only that, but they were rapidly approaching the city gate.
The captain’s shout drew all the soldiers on the tower to gather around. Everyone felt a surge of fear and trepidation. On such a windy, snowy night, whoever was approaching could not mean well. Of course, if they were merely commoners, it would only be a matter of difficulty entering the city.
But with the Empress and Crown Prince having fled the palace under suspicion of treason, an ominous foreboding settled in everyone’s hearts.
"Urgent report! Urgent military report from Yingzhou! Open the gates quickly!"
"We are personal guards under Yingzhou’s Regional Commander Luo Xiucheng! The Golden Feather Arrow is here—open the gates at once!"The torches soon reached the base of the city gate. A few desperate shouts pierced through the blizzard and rose to the watchtower. The guard captain led everyone to peer downward, barely making out two young men in crimson military uniforms. Their expressions were stern, weathered by the harsh snowstorm, their faces covered in bright red frostbite—it was impossible to tell how long they had been trudging through the storm.
At the mention of "golden-feathered arrow," the guard captain panicked instantly. "Yingzhou?! How could an urgent report suddenly come from Yingzhou?!"
An imperial guard stepped forward and added, "Luo Xiucheng is the regional commander of Yingzhou. If his personal guards are delivering an urgent report with the golden-feathered arrow, something must have happened in the north! Open the gates now!"
Already flustered, the captain was further pressured by the shout and immediately ordered the gates to be swung open. Though the gates were now open, the captain remained uneasy. Just as he descended from the watchtower, two swift horses charged through. The captain caught sight of the golden-feathered arrow—a unique military symbol for urgent messages that must never be obstructed, no matter where it appeared. The two riders did not linger after entering the city; instead, they cracked their whips and galloped straight toward the imperial palace.
Everyone watched as the two figures sped away, only snapping back to reality when they had vanished from sight.
"Yingzhou is only two days' journey from the capital. What could have happened?"
"Earlier, it was said that Cangzhou had been seized by the Northern Garrison Army. Could it be that they’ve advanced to Yingzhou in just a few days?"
"No! Impossible. Above Yingzhou lie Chongzhou and Fengzhou. If the Northern Garrison Army were marching south, those two regions would surely have sent urgent reports…"
"Could it be… could it be they didn’t have time…"
Speculations ran rampant among the crowd below the watchtower. The Northern Garrison Army was renowned for its elite, fierce, and nearly unstoppable forces. The Empress and Crown Prince’s secret flight from the palace only signaled impending upheaval. Even without knowing what had transpired in Yingzhou, their conjectures alone were enough to stir monumental waves throughout the Great Zhou dynasty.
In an instant, panic gripped everyone at the city gate. If the Northern Garrison Army had indeed reached Yingzhou, they would surely attack Lin'an by tomorrow or the day after!
With fewer than fifty thousand troops currently defending Lin'an, could they possibly hold off the Northern Garrison Army?
While the Garrison Battalion guards at the gate were seized with anxiety, the two messengers carrying the golden-feathered arrow and the urgent report had already arrived at the imperial palace.
The arrival of the golden-feathered arrow soldiers in the deep night was like a thunderclap, resounding heavily through the snowy capital.
At the same time, Yan Chi stood alone at the entrance of Prince Gong’s royal residence.
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