Chapter 38: The Iron Arm Tightened Around Her Waist...
Pei Song waved his hand, signaling the personal guards in the study to withdraw. Zhou Sui was also assisted away by the head of the Manor Guard.
Only then did the Chief Secretary ask, "My lord, why did you spare that woman's life?"
Pei Song replied, "It's a private matter."
He lifted his gaze to the dark sky outside the window: "All the clues we've uncovered have been severed at just the right points. Sir, there's a hand in the shadows stirring up turmoil throughout Yongzhou and even all regions south of the Wei River!"
The Chief Secretary, thinking of their current predicament, darkened his expression: "If this truly is the work of Wen Shi's daughter, her strategic abilities may surpass even those of her father and brothers. She will surely become a great threat in the future."
Pei Song's voice turned icy: "Dispatch more personnel to search for Han Yang's whereabouts. As for Zhou Sui... have him watched as well."
The Chief Secretary said, "The most pressing matter remains the war situation in Dingzhou. Though Yongzhou has surrendered to you, my lord, Hengzhou has surrendered to Wei Qishan. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun remain impregnable, while rebels still swarm throughout the heartland of Great Liang. The current situation... does not favor you, my lord."
Pei Song let out a cold laugh, his eyes filled with wild arrogance: "This world has always belonged to the capable. Whoever commands mighty armies holds both the current situation and the initiative."
"Wei Qishan wants to use Dingzhou to blunt my momentum? Then let him see clearly whether his Northern Iron Cavalry can overwhelm this Army of tigers and wolves in my hands!"
His long finger landed on Mengzhou on the map, his cold black eyes filled with murderous intent: "Tomorrow I will personally lead troops against Mengzhou. I'll trouble you, Sir, to hold Yongzhou for me and continue investigating Xing Lie's murderer. Once Mengzhou falls, we'll have our military supplies."
Mengzhou and Xiangzhou were the two toughest bones to crack south of the Wei River. With Mengzhou taken, Xiangzhou would grow nervous, and others still dreaming of raising their own banners as local despots would have to reconsider.
The chaotic heartland of Great Liang would eventually, under the pressure of his hundreds of thousands of elite troops, consolidate into an iron plate.
In the dim candlelight, the cold tea on the desk reflected a young face marked by arrogance and ruthlessness.
The Chief Secretary sighed softly: "My lord's ambition could swallow mountains and rivers, but... those who command armies must avoid excessive slaughter. Your forceful capture of Mengzhou is meant to intimidate other unsubmitted forces. After the city falls, you must also show benevolence to win the people's hearts. Therefore, for military supplies, targeting wealthy merchants should suffice. Avoid excessive plundering of commoners that would earn you infamy."
Still harboring hidden anger from being cornered by the mastermind behind the scenes, Pei Song said, "The people's hearts? In this chaotic era of contention for supremacy, how many truly fight for the people's welfare? They merely seek grand justifications for their own ambitions."
"From when Yongzhou surrendered and I had to endure Zhou Jing'an's suicide as loyalty to former Liang for the greater situation, to the inflated prices of grain and medicine south of the Wei River making military supplies difficult to procure—I've been pondering one question: are the people's hearts truly that important?"
A moth flew into the lampshade, fluttering wildly within the gauze enclosure yet finding no way out.Pei Song gazed at the moth, his expression cold and detached: "The common people of this world have long been tamed into a herd of livestock by emperors throughout the ages. As long as the blade doesn't fall upon them, they remain numb and submissive. Even when the blade descends, they resign themselves to slaughter. No one would care about the thoughts of livestock originally grazing there when fighting for a piece of land to domesticate them; and livestock, remembering the kindness of their previous master, wouldn't refuse to acknowledge the next one, would they?"
"Sir, why should I let such a foolish populace—obedient to whoever holds power—restrain my hands and feet?"
The moth ultimately failed to escape the lampshade. After colliding countless times against the gauze shade glowing with dim light, it fell onto the lamp base.
The Chief Secretary was stunned into silence by his words. After a long while, he spoke as if at a loss: "My lord... why utter such shocking words?"
Pei Song looked out at the boundless dark night, a trace of bitter mockery surfacing on his exquisite features: "Because the common people of this world... are foolish and ignorant, greedy yet cowardly. Did ancient Qin conquer the six states by winning the people's hearts? It was by relying on hundreds of thousands of mighty troops!"
The Chief Secretary said: "But Qin fell after only two generations..."
Pei Song turned to face him: "No, it was because Qin lacked another emperor capable of dominating the court and territories. To rule a unified empire, benevolence may be necessary, but to seize this empire, it must be: those who submit will prosper, those who resist shall perish!"
A long wind swept across the wilderness, flattening withered grass as cold crows cawed mournfully.
Wen Yu held a handful of soil, silently scattering it over the newly raised grave mound.
The captain of guards led over the horses and said: "Your Highness, the pursuers are closing in. We must continue our journey."
Wen Yu stood up, gazing back at the undulating mountains in the night. The wind billowed her loose cape as she spoke softly: "The pursuers grow increasingly numerous. Whether government troops or mountain bandits, all are closing in on us. My whereabouts must have been exposed. Further south, who knows how many more will die..."
When they left Tong City, there were over twenty of them. Now, fewer than ten remained.
The captain said: "Even if only one of us remains, we will exhaust every effort to escort you safely to Pingzhou."
Wen Yu lowered her gaze, slender fingers brushing the freshly cut wooden tombstone. Her voice was gentle yet resolute: "I won't let any Martyr die in vain. In this era of great contention where the strong prey on the weak, everyone desires to be the butcher's knife—who would willingly be the fish on the chopping block?"
Throughout this journey, she had witnessed countless common people displaced by war. The Great Liang Dynasty had collapsed. Petty officials and bandits alike proclaimed themselves kings and emperors, scraping layer upon layer of wealth from the people's very scalps.
All seek to become local emperors ruling over thousands—who cares about the lives of the common folk?
Wen Yu felt remorse toward the people.
—It was her Wen Shi clan, supported by the populace, that failed to protect their own subjects.
The captain said: "The Grand Mentor died to demonstrate his resolve, hoping you would restore order to the land."
Wen Yu closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her gaze had regained its calm, yet behind that stillness burned a flame spreading like wildfire. She mounted her horse and looked toward the road ahead shrouded in deep twilight: "Let's go."
Whatever Pei Song's true identity might be, it was no excuse for him to plunge the world into chaos. She would surely make this traitor pay with his life!
The steed galloped forth, the wooden carp pendant at Wen Yu's waist swinging in a soaring arc.In a dense forest outside Yongzhou City, the rime had frozen into a vast expanse of white.
Xiao Li thrust his long blade into the snow-covered ground and knelt before a grave mound dusted with a thin layer of snow, holding an object tightly wrapped in black cloth.
"Mother, your child has avenged you."
He placed Xing Lie’s severed head before Xiao Huiniang’s cenotaph, kowtowed three times to the grave, then took a copper flask from his waist, unscrewed the cap, and poured the tung oil inside over the black cloth-wrapped head. He then retrieved his tinder and ignited it.
Orange-red flames tinged with ghostly blue quickly engulfed the black cloth bundle.
The cold, desolate moonlight cast his shadow, making it appear even more solitary.
By the firelight, Xiao Li burned some paper money and said, "Your child must leave Yong City for a while. Brother Song Qin and Zheng Hu, along with the former gambling house brothers, have started a security agency. The godmothers are under their care, so rest assured."
After the paper money burned out, he seemed at a loss for words. Letting the fine snow accumulate on his shoulders, he silently watched the flames die out. The wind howling through the mountains and forests wailed like mournful cries.
Zhou Manor.
Pei Song entered the side room, carrying the chill of the snowy night. The servants attending inside all bowed deeply to him.
These were Pei Song’s personal attendants, not servants of the Zhou Manor.
He asked in a low voice, "How is the woman?"
A maid replied, "Though she has regained consciousness, her mind is still unclear. She keeps murmuring ‘Huan’er’ or something similar, as if it were a person’s name."
Pei Song waved his hand, signaling the maid to withdraw.
The room was brightly lit with candles in all four corners. Pei Song stood by the bed, looking down at the severely injured and frail woman. "Do you know me?" he asked.
Xiao Huiniang’s gaze was unfocused, and she instinctively murmured, "Huan’er… my Huan’er…"
Pei Song’s eyes turned icy. He drew his blade and pointed it directly at Xiao Huiniang’s neck, demanding coldly, "Who sent you?"
Xiao Huiniang seemed unaware of the cold blade mere inches from her neck and continued to weakly call out, "Huan’er…"
Pei Song stared at her coldly for a long time before finally sheathing his blade and striding out of the room.
That year, his mother had died of illness during exile. In her final moments, her mind had also been unclear, calling out "Huan’er" repeatedly.
Who was this woman? Someone who knew his secrets, or… merely a coincidence?
Pei Song walked into the courtyard, where the servants waiting outside bowed deeply to him once more.
He glanced back at the side room and said coldly, "Send word to the military physician. Before I return from the campaign in Mengzhou, ensure this woman stays alive."
Three days later, at a roadside tea house near the official road.
A merchant convoy of over ten people crowded into the tea house, shouting, "Waiter, two pots of good tea and ten pounds of mutton!"
"Right away! Gentlemen, please wait a moment!" The tea house attendant responded cheerfully, bustling about without a moment’s rest.
The group found an empty table and sat down, grumbling, "That military governor of Hezhong who declared himself emperor in Mengzhou—he boasted so much about his capabilities, but when Pei Song’s thirty-thousand-strong army besieged the city, it fell in less than a day! Good thing we fled quickly, or we might have ended up like the merchants in the city, dead! In these times, traveling north and south, risking our lives to earn a meager living—it’s not easy!"
Sitting diagonally across from them was a young man wearing a bamboo hat, quietly sipping a cup of plain tea as he listened.People in the caravan tossed fried salted soybeans into their mouths and continued, "If you ask me, about eighty percent of the empire will likely fall into Pei Song's hands. Once Mengzhou—that tough nut—is cracked, Xiangzhou won't stand a chance. There's a military strategy for this: secure the inside first, then deal with external threats!"
Someone nearby chimed in, "Not necessarily. Haven't there been rumors in the south about the whereabouts of the former Liang's Hanyang Princess? All those mountain bandit chiefs are drooling over this 'swan meat,' hoping to use the former Liang's influence as a legitimate pretext to rebel!"
The first speaker shook his head. "Those bandits are just a disorderly mob—how could they contend with Pei Song's hundreds of thousands of troops? As for that Hanyang Princess, her portrait is posted on city gates everywhere. She really does look like a fairy. I wonder which mighty lord will end up with her."
His companion laughed. "Even Changlian Wang's daughter-in-law, a mere woman, was taken by Pei Song into the Star-Picking Tower. That Hanyang Princess will probably end up keeping her sister-in-law company!"
The whole table exchanged knowing smiles.
"Waiter, the bill."
A cold, deep voice came from the table diagonally across from them.
Someone in the caravan turned to look, catching only a glimpse of the young man's sharply defined jaw as he passed their table and his tall, straight back disappearing into the rain curtain. The arm holding his sword bulged slightly beneath the arrow sleeve as he mounted his horse and rode off alone, like a lone wolf.
After days of fleeing, Wen Yu had caught a chill.
Her portrait had been copied so many times that even mountain bandits had copies, countless of them boasting about making her their "mountain fortress queen."
With fierce bandits ahead and pursuers behind, to avoid inspections along the way, she had no choice but to use cat hair to trigger a full-body rash again. But this time, the allergic reaction combined with the chill hit her like a collapsing mountain.
For the first two days, she could still ride. By the third day, she didn't even have the strength to mount the horse. The exhaustion and stress of the journey had drained her, and the chill struck fiercely. She ran a high fever, her body ached with weakness, and it felt like needles were pricking between her bones.
To divert the pursuers, their original group of fewer than ten had split into three routes.
Now, only the guard captain Cen An and a female guard, Tong Que, remained by Wen Yu's side.
They too had sword wounds of varying severity. But it seemed the major prefectures had gotten word of their injuries. To track them, not only were they conducting city-wide searches for anyone wounded, but they were also strictly monitoring all pharmacies. Anyone buying wound medicine was tailed.
So, the guard captain and the others had to leave their injuries untreated.
Seeing Wen Yu's persistent high fever, Guard Captain Cen An said, "I'll disguise myself and go to a pharmacy to get some medicine for your chill!"
Wen Yu shook her head. The fever had cracked her once-full lips. Though her eyes showed fatigue, they remained resilient. "You're wounded. At a medical hall, even a brief encounter would let the physician spot the clues."
After a moment's thought, the guard captain suggested, "Then I'll go to the market district. If I can find a folk healer or a farmer selling herbs from the countryside, I might get some medicine."
Tong Que, supporting Wen Yu, looked at her and said, "My lady, I think that could work."
The high fever had also triggered Wen Yu's chronic headache, making her head throb painfully and her thoughts sluggish.She knew that not only did her cold require medicine, but the wounds on Cen An and Tong Que also needed to be treated with medicine. Otherwise, if the wounds worsened, it would only become more difficult to handle.
She finally nodded and instructed, "Be careful in everything, stay alert on the road. If you notice anyone watching in the market, don’t risk buying the medicine. Come back, and we’ll plan further."
Cen An cupped his hands toward her and said, "I’ve taken note of everything."
After he left, Tong Que closed the broken temple door again. She poured some boiled water from the small black iron pot, let it cool slightly, then helped Wen Yu sit up and fed her some water, asking, "Your Highness, are you feeling any better?"
Wen Yu moistened her sore, dry throat and nodded gently.
Although a rash had appeared on her face, it couldn’t conceal her pallor.
In the temple shrine, a large Buddha statue with faded gold paint seemed to smile and pity the mortal world.
Wen Yu looked at the Buddha statue, struggled to stand, stepped forward, and knelt on the dusty cushion. She pressed her palms together and bowed devoutly to the Buddha.
Tong Que asked, "Your Highness, do you believe in gods and Buddhas?"
After finishing her bow, Wen Yu replied, "I didn’t used to, but in this world, I no longer have any close relatives left—only my sister-in-law and A Yin. Even if it’s illusory, I’m willing to pray for blessings on their behalf."
Tong Que watched the woman kneeling on the cushion, bathed in the light streaming through the broken window as if cloaked in divine radiance, and felt an inexplicable tremor in her chest, momentarily speechless.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the temple.
Wen Yu lifted her eyes to look outside, while Tong Que had already cautiously hidden by the broken window, peering through a crack. She saw several beggars leading soldiers in their direction, saying, "It’s that broken temple up ahead!"
Tong Que’s expression changed. She overturned the small pot, using the water inside to douse the flames, then helped Wen Yu up, saying, "This is bad! The beggars who linger around here must have caught wind of something and brought the soldiers for the reward! I’ll take you away first!"
Tong Que fled with Wen Yu through the back hall of the temple.
Several beggars led the soldiers into the temple. After searching around and finding no one, the soldier leader reached out and pinched a bit of warm ash beside the firewood pile, saying, "The fire was just put out. They can’t have gone far."
Another soldier searching below came to report, "Boss! We found footprints behind the temple!"
The soldier leader shouted, "After them, quickly!"
Wen Yu, weakened by her illness, couldn’t endure a long escape. Tong Que, injured herself, couldn’t carry her.
As they were about to be caught by the soldiers, Wen Yu leaned against the wall and pushed Tong Que, saying, "You escape. My face is already unrecognizable—even if they have a portrait, they won’t be able to identify me!"
Gritting her teeth, Tong Que pulled Wen Yu onto her back and, ignoring the pain from her wounds, carried her forward, breathing in the biting cold wind as she said, "If you’re caught with us, even if they don’t recognize you, they’ll torture you to extract information about our whereabouts. How could I let you face such danger?"
No sooner had she spoken than Tong Que let out a pained groan, stumbling uncontrollably forward.
She did her best to protect Wen Yu, but Wen Yu’s elbow still struck the ground heavily with a dull thud when she fell. Pale-faced and ignoring the pain, Wen Yu went to help Tong Que: "You’re injured…"
An arrow had struck Tong Que’s calf, blood seeping down the shaft. The arrowhead must have been coated with Mafeisan, as half her leg had already lost sensation. Clutching her sword, her eyes red, she urged, "Your Highness, don’t worry about me. Run, quickly!"Wen Yu shook her head, her eyes also reddening as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind Tong Que's ear, saying, "You have risked your lives to bring me this far—that is enough."
She drew the dagger from Tong Que's waist.
Tong Que seemed to know what she intended to do, tears of anguish welling in her eyes as she cried, "My lady, you must not!"
Wen Yu pressed down on her shoulder and said, "Tong Que, we must think of the future. Do not throw your lives away in vain."
Holding the dagger to her own throat, she forced herself to stand and looked toward the officers nearby who were reining in their warhorses. "I, Wen Shi Hanyang, am willing to go with you. But if you harm even a hair of my people, I swear you will bring back only my corpse."
The cold wind stirred her clothes and hair, and in her usually gentle and serene eyes flashed a blade-like chill.
Even in her disheveled state, the innate nobility and grace emanating from her very bones made the lead officer unable to meet her gaze directly.
The officer knew well that capturing her alive would bring far greater merit than returning with a dead body. He immediately gestured to his soldiers, who sheathed their bows and arrows.
He laughed and said, "Had you known better, my lady, why struggle like a trapped beast? My lord merely heard of your passing and wished to invite you to his residence as a guest."
No sooner had he spoken than thunderous hoofbeats echoed from behind.
The officer turned to see two riders galloping from the end of the street where the sun was sinking. The one in front wore a hat shading half his face, a five-foot Miao blade unsheathed in his hand, its cold gleam striking fear into hearts.
With the momentum of the warhorse, none of the soldiers dared charge forward to block him. As the warhorse closed in, they scattered to the sides. Those who nocked arrows had not yet drawn their bows when the Miao blade descended with deadly intent.
The officer shouted, spurred his horse forward, and raised his sword to engage the newcomer.
Yet, in the briefest exchange, blood spurted from his neck, and with a look of disbelief, he tumbled from his saddle.
The rider did not slow in the slightest. As he passed Wen Yu, his long arm swept out, snatching her by the waist onto his horse before galloping away.
The wooden carp pendant hanging from Wen Yu's waist struck against his scabbard with a soft clink.
The rider following close behind did the same, scooping up the injured Tong Que and chasing after them.
Wen Yu lay slumped over the horse, pressed into a familiar embrace. The biting wind rushing past made her already hoarse throat even more unable to form words, and the iron arm clamped around her waist did not loosen.
Wen Yu froze for a moment, breathing shallowly the lingering scent of soap pods around her, and suddenly found herself at a loss for words.Thank you to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: 67029664 20 bottles; My Wish Is Not to Go Bald 11 bottles; Mingziii～lily, oh, Mianyang 10 bottles; Crab Boss, . 6 bottles; Totoro 4 bottles; Bubu, Juedufengzhou 3 bottles; Atongmu, Night, 31900313, Damao, Small Round Eyes 2 bottles; Tutu, Suchu Chumeng, Fallen Blossoms, JenniferCA, Jiji, Stella, kfpy_L, Heart Set on Studying, Ke Yibeilusi, Mint Aroma, Qijinqing, 27428371, Yundongya, Bachi 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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