Chapter 45: As I said, I am here.

Some of the older apprentices dispersed the people who had gathered outside the courtyard gate and were peering through the door frame.

Separated by two gates and a courtyard, I strained my ears but couldn't make heads or tails of it. I only caught snippets of words like "your father," "my," and "child," which I couldn't piece together into any useful information.

The older apprentice bowed to them, clasped his hands together, and stood there without saying a word.

They're trying to drive customers away.

"Let's go."

Xie Wenjun left a few people to guard the Zhu Bridge.

Other people's family affairs, no matter how deep their grudges, are their own business, and they have no right to interfere or judge.

Their hands were still clasped.

Stepping off the vermilion bridge, Xie Wenjun released the warmth from her palm, letting the hand slip away. The night was a bit chilly, and the warmth in her hand vanished in an instant, leaving no trace.

How could she defend herself? She wondered.

"I apologize for being so abrupt," Xie Wenjun said.

Chen Liangyu, on the other hand, seemed indifferent.

"Is it not allowed?"

Chen Liangyu clearly understood why she had used the word "abrupt".

Is it not allowed? They've known each other for many years; they're quite familiar with each other. Isn't it normal for them to grow closer?

Xie Wenjun was stumped by her question. She thought about it very seriously, as if racking her brains for the answer to a very difficult question. She was being challenged.

She just nodded blankly.

"Since it's permissible, why would Your Highness say it's presumptuous?"

Chen Liangyu's attire today was very simple. She was not wearing armor or a cloak. Her hair was usually tied with a hair clip, but in order not to attract attention, she changed it to a regular hair tie ribbon.

Her eyes, clear and pure, reflected the bright moonlight.

Spotless.

When he uttered those words that inadvertently stirred up a storm in the hearts of those around him, his eyes were clear and free of any ulterior motives.

Xie Wenjun's lips curved upwards, which could be described as a smile, but the smile itself seemed forced and unnatural.

“You don’t understand,” she said.

Chen Liangyu extended his hand, spreading it out in front of Xie Wenjun, "Your Highness, if you wish to shake it, you are welcome to. As I have said, I am here!"

She could hardly remember which year she had said those words to Xie Wenjun, but she remembered very clearly that she had made that promise.

Now is the time to fulfill that promise.

Xie Wenjun looked at her outstretched palm but didn't place her hand on it. A faint, almost imperceptible smile finally appeared on her beautiful, yet troubled face.

A smile played on her lips, subtle yet genuine.

“Okay,” she said.

Although Jiuhua Manor is a century-old family of doctors, it is not the kind of grand mansion with a large number of servants. There are only a few servants in the manor, about a dozen young apprentice doctors, whose hands and faces bear the marks of frostbite.

The doctor in the gray cloth shirt also said that Master Pei had a habit of taking children home, especially orphans who had lost their parents.

These young medicine boys were probably picked up by him when he traveled around practicing medicine.

To teach people a skill is to teach them how to make a living.

The rooster crowed twice.

Chen Liangyu counted in her mind. It was the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).

The diligent young herbalist has already gotten dressed and is heading out to gather new herbs, carrying a medicine basket and a shovel.

There were two stone steps leading to the guest room, with pillars supporting the eaves on either side. Chen Liangyu sat on the stone steps, leaning her head against a pillar as if dozing off.

She was a very light sleeper; even the slightest breeze could wake her.

As the rooster crowed loudly for the third time, Chen Liangyu instantly opened her eyes.

Birds in the mountains and forests flapped their wings and took flight in fright.

Something unsettling is disturbing this quiet mountain village.

Rong Jun and the palace guard on duty were also dozing off, slumped over.

Even the most well-trained soldiers are not made of iron; they had been exhausted for days and could only catch snippets of rest. As soon as Chen Liangyu opened his eyes, they quickly went on alert.

Donggong Wei, who was resting inside, heard the noise and jumped up.

The night was about to end, but some oblivious fools still refused to see the new dawn.

The young apprentice had already gathered the new herbs. Pei Danxing prepared the medicine and brought it to them, saying, "After you have taken the medicine, you may leave if there is nothing else. My wife is unwell, so please excuse me for not seeing you off any further."

The female thief in black has disappeared without a trace.

"Master Pei, is there any other way down the mountain?" Chen Liangyu asked.

Pei Danxing replied, "Yes."

He pointed in a direction towards the back of the mountain, "Go out the back gate of the manor, head east on the back mountain, and you'll find a narrow path worn by people. Follow it down to the mountain god temple, and from the main gate and east gate of the mountain god temple, you'll reach the main road. Has something happened?"

Xie Wenjun opened the guest room door. "Do you know who it is?"

Chen Liangyu shook his head, "I don't know yet." He turned to Rong Jun and Pei Danxing and said, "Rong Jun, tell the people outside to head towards the back mountain. Master Pei, this place is dangerous, should we leave with you?"

Without hesitation, Pei Danxing said, "My wife needs to rest and shouldn't be too tired. You may leave."

"And you guys?"

"If something unexpected happens, there is always a place to avoid disaster."

Chen Liangyu bowed with his hands clasped and said, "I'm sorry to have bothered you, farewell."

“Wait a minute,” Pei Danxing said, “Does the general recognize Prime Minister Xun?”

Xun Xian?

"I recognize it."

Pei Danxing's gaze was complex, filled with pain and struggle, yet also with a sense of letting go and relief, and even a hint of unintentional hope. "May I ask for my sake, on the fifteenth of the eighth month of the nineteenth year of Yingtong, after he got what he wanted, why did he still send people to slaughter Lingxiao Manor?"

The answers and reasons are no longer important.

How could ordinary people, insignificant as they are, be allowed to live in the world if they knew the dirtiest and most sordid secrets between the prime minister and the emperor?

But he still wanted to ask one more question.

On behalf of his family, who died under mysterious circumstances on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, I would like to ask them a question.

Even if this question might bring about another round of relentless pursuit after more than twenty years.

Chen Liangyu said, "Once this matter is settled and we return to Yongdu, I will definitely investigate this case thoroughly."

At the juncture of heaven and earth, the white of dawn appeared, and that white gradually spread, bringing out a touch of pale orange-red.

The horde of people surged into the forest, startling even more birds into flight.

There were ambushes on all sides, but those people hesitated to make a move, coiling around them like pythons and closing in.

Following the path pointed out by Pei Danxing, they quickly found the winding path worn by people.

"Ah Li, who do you think it could be?" Xie Wenjun asked.

The path wound its way up the mountainside, and was a bit steep. We helped each other through that section, and the path ahead was relatively flat.

"Be careful."

Chen Liangyu supported Xie Wenjun's arm to make her feet land more steadily.

“It’s not the group that Prince Qi sent from Yongdu. Those people have already been dealt with by Qingge. It’s also not the men of Marquis Heng of the Southern Border. My troops came later when I arrived in Yongjia City, so although they were a bit slower, they have arrived by now. He knows that. I tested Marquis Heng. His stance is very ambiguous. Before the overall situation is settled, he will not risk making enemies with any side.”

Xie Wenjun asked, "You took those 50,000 troops with you. How many are left now?"

"Less than 30,000 people."

Liangxi City and Yongjia City both belong to Chong'an Prefecture in terms of geographical division. Each city has a fixed number of garrison troops. Yongjia City is a fortress, and Qingge only has about ten thousand men under his command.

"What is the background of Du Peisun, the Prefect of Chong'an?" Chen Liangyu asked.

Xie Wenjun considered for a moment and said, "A very... boring person."

"Boring?" Chen Liangyu said.

This word is rarely used to describe a person.

"This man was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the sixth year of the Xuanyuan era. He came from a respectable family. At the height of his family's glory, two members were Hanlin scholars, serving as compilers and reviewers, but their ranks were not high. After passing the Jinshi examination, everything went too smoothly for him. He studied when he was supposed to and was sent to other posts when he was supposed to. He did not cause any trouble, nor did he have any great achievements. He just made sure that his annual reports were accurate. During the 'major assessment,' he was given a 'diligent' rating. The rest of the time, he was like a reclusive monk, and there was usually no news of him."

The "Grand Assessment" is a three-year evaluation of local officials, assessed according to four categories and eight methods, and classified into three grades: competent, diligent, and dedicated. Officials below the grade are impeached or dismissed.

"He was the top-ranked scholar in the second class that year, but he was content to serve as a fifth-rank prefect in another region. There are few records of him in the official documents, and my elder brother rarely mentions him. Under his rule, apart from natural disasters, Chong'an has never experienced any major chaos."

Judging from this description, this person is just coasting along in the imperial court.

There were many such people in the court. They would compromise and avoid conflict, not seeking merit, high rank, or attaching themselves to any powerful figure. Even if someone was fighting and blood was spilled outside, they would remain aloof and watch from the sidelines.

"If he is that kind of person, then he can be eliminated. So who else could it be?"

Chen Liangyu looked around.

Those people still have no intention of making a move.

After turning a corner, the terrain became flatter, and the mountain god temple that Pei Danxing had mentioned could be seen. This path extended from the temple.

Chen Liangyu had whistling arrows hidden in her sleeves, but since she didn't know how many people the enemy had, she couldn't just send out the signal directly. If they were just petty thieves, she could handle them, so she shouldn't mobilize a large force, lest someone seize on this and turn the tables, accusing her and Xie Wenjun of unauthorized troop deployment and plotting rebellion.

If Xie Wenjun loses the argument on the grounds of "reason," the Imperial Seal of the State on his person will be his most fatal weakness. Anyone could fabricate a story accusing him of stealing the seal, leaving him with no way to defend himself.

Further on, one can see the old traces on the walls of the mountain god temple. Peeking into the half-open door, one can vaguely see the colorful, mottled colors on the door.

Those people finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Chen Liangyu and Rong Jun noticed the sharp sound of the arrow piercing the wind.

"alert!"

Chen Liangyu shielded Xie Wenjun behind him, gripped the hilt of his sword with his right hand, and exerted force, the blade drawing an arc in the air to deflect the gleaming scissors.

Metals collide, sparks fly.

"Escort the princess away!" Chen Liangyu ordered.

Several palace guards immediately used their bodies as shields, holding soft swords horizontally, waving the blades to block hidden arrows and stray arrows, as they headed towards the half-closed wooden door of the mountain god temple.

Yuan Rong and Dai Qing's legs were weak, so Xie Wenjun supported one of them on each side and carried them away.

With a sob in her voice, Daiqing looked as if she were willing to sacrifice herself for a cause, "Princess..."

"Shut up. Save your energy for walking."

She simply didn't want to live anymore, not that she wanted to sacrifice herself for a cause. What she was thinking was: living in constant fear like a fugitive, not knowing when she would die, so dying was the end of it.

Several more arrows shot out from behind the bunker on the mountain. Chen Liangyu twisted his wrist, caught the arrows with his sword, spun them a few times in the air, turned around, and threw the arrowheads back at the half of a head that was exposed outside the bunker.

It struck right between the eyebrows, killing instantly.

Without warning, without looking ahead or behind, and without looking left or right, an arrow flew towards her from the other side with a "whoosh".

She spun in mid-air, her body rotating once before landing.

I didn't hear the sound of the sword whizzing past me.

The arrow was intercepted halfway.

The man was slightly shorter than her, with a stubble beard, and dressed as a beggar. He carried a bundle of firewood on his back and a piece of dead wood in his hand, with the arrow that had come towards her stuck in it.

Where have I seen this before?

Before they could think, dozens of men in black, carrying machetes, came down the slope and charged toward them, shouting.

At the same time, another group of people rushed out from the mountain god temple, dressed in red armor and carrying red silk knives. They were the garrison troops of Liangxi City.

Someone shouted, "Protect the Emperor!"

The two groups clashed.

"withdraw!"

The Eastern Palace Guards were ordered to retreat.

The beggar carrying firewood turned and ran up the mountain.

Chen Liangyu pulled back the beggar who was trying to run to the other side, saying, "There are still many people lying in ambush on the mountain. If you don't follow me, you will surely die."

After thinking for a moment, the beggar followed Chen Liangyu into the mountain god temple.

Author's note: Just a side note, they each have their own storylines, and the protagonist doesn't have an omniscient perspective, so they don't necessarily know their stories.

My typing speed is really bad for the readers (slipping my knees in apology). I'll make up for it with one and a half chapters tonight!

Thank you for reading this far!