Chapter 57 [VIP]
On the day Xiao Chuan left Yizhou, Mi Yao got up very early to see him off.
It wasn't that she couldn't bear to part with Xiao Chuan and wanted to see him one more time; it was a matter of worldly wisdom and social etiquette.
Chang Xuanke, the observer sent to Yizhou by Emperor Daxing, died in Yizhou. It seemed that Zhao Tianhe was arrogant and did not take Emperor Daxing seriously. However, Zhao Tianhe soon accepted Tang Tanyi's request for help and formed an alliance with him to deal with the increasingly ambitious military governor of Huainan.
Regardless of whether Zhao Tianhe didn't want to let the Huainan military governor grow stronger or whether he favored Tang Tanyi, Tang Tanyi was a member of the imperial clan. In any case, his move was like slapping the Emperor of Daxing in the face and giving him a sweet treat.
Although I killed the observer you sent, I'm not helping your nephew to quell internal strife or repel external threats.
Because Zhao Tianhe was making a big show of it, he wanted to toast the soldiers who came to Jiangning's aid on the city gate.
Since there was a ceremony, as Xiao Chuan's wife, she naturally had to be present to see him off.
After exchanging a drowsy glance with Xiao Chua, Mi Yao turned her gaze to the Jiannan Army.
The uniforms of the Jiannan Army are black, a dark mass that makes it difficult to see their faces, which adds to their mystery. One can imagine what a handsome face they might have based on their broad shoulders and narrow waists.
It's somewhat interesting.
Lost in admiration of the new man, Mi Yao looked at Xiao Chuan again when she heard the drumbeats, only to find his back in her sight.
The figure in red armor stood tall and straight, half a head taller than an average man, and the horse, due to its size, was more than twice the size of the others.
Combined, Xiao Chuan stands out like a crane among chickens in a crowd; even if you don't look at him directly, you'll still glance at him out of the corner of your eye.
After Xiao Chua left, Zhao Tianhe called Mi Yao to his side and thanked her for her hard work.
"I know you are newly married, but Chuan'er is still at an age where he needs experience. I'm afraid you will be separated for the next few years. I'm sorry to trouble you to stay behind for him, manage the household affairs of the Xiao family and take care of the children, so that he has no worries."
Mi Yao didn't think there was anything wrong with being apart so often; in fact, she recently complained that Xiao Chuan was returning to the Xiao residence too frequently.
If Xiao Chuan's departure lasts for a year or two, she will definitely find a temple where she doesn't have to climb mountains and donate more incense money.
“My husband and father are the ones who have worked so hard; compared to them, what I can do is nothing.”
"No matter how big or small the matter is, it's not easy to teach a child well."
Zhao Tianhe had a deep affection for his deceased wife, so he naturally knew that raising children was no small matter. "Last time, Master Li praised Xiao's eldest son highly. Master Li also told me that you are a good mother and that with your guidance, the eldest son will surely become successful in the future."
Mi Yao was stunned by the praise. Because Xiao Shan and Xiao Liang liked to stick to her, she paid more attention to them. As for Xiao Yi, because he was easy to get along with, she would only mention him briefly when she met him at meals.
Is this all it takes to be a good mother?
"It's because Dalang is obedient."
They only listen to you when you're nice to them.
Zhao Tianhe was very satisfied with Mi Yao, not only because she took good care of the child, but also because Xiao Chuan's dormant ambition was reignited after she was born.
If you say Xiao Chuan has no guts, the soldiers and generals of Yizhou City would probably say that's bullshit.
In the battle that made Xiao Chua famous, a thousand men ambushed ten thousand. After winning the battle despite the reinforcements being blocked, they still had the strength to find food and return home. They then joined forces with the reinforcements to attack the enemy from both sides, catching them completely off guard.
But in his view, Xiao Chuan lacked courage.
Xiao Chuan rose from an illiterate soldier to his current position not because of good luck, but because of his undeniable talent and ability.
Even though he is aloof and doesn't like socializing, Xiao Chuan is always regarded as the leader of the pack and followed by people whenever he is in a crowd. The only regret is that his ambition only stops at winning.
No matter how capable a man is, if he has no ambition to rise to the top and is only willing to be a tool in someone else's hand, then his capability will be halved.
This is also why he hesitated several times in choosing a successor.
Having lost his son and daughter, and yet failing to select and train a successor from among the collateral branches or adopted sons of the Zhao family, the officials of Jiannan were already wavering, fearing that if he died, Jiannan would fall apart and they would have no young master to follow, their fate being no different from being buried alive with him.
Aside from his old comrades who were loyal to him to the death, everyone else had their own agendas. This is why the arrival of Chang Xuanke, a nobody, in Yizhou stirred up a commotion throughout the city.
At that moment, Xiao Chuan was killing someone perfectly; he took action in full view of everyone and ended Chang Xuanke's life.
That's what it means to have guts!
Whether Xiao Chuan wanted to show off his skills because he thought there were too many clueless people around him, or he was angry for the sake of a beauty, he was satisfied with the fearsome aura Xiao Chuan displayed in that instant.
"When Chuan'er returns from this mission, I will give him a few more days off so that you two can conceive your own child as soon as possible. Your child will surely be intelligent and outstanding from birth."
Zhao Tianhe laughed heartily. Mi Yao lowered her eyes and pretended to be shy. She could only feel wronged. She did not reject having her own child, but in this situation where medical methods were not advanced, not having a child was the best way to show maternal love to the child.
After bowing to see Zhao Tianhe off, Mi Yao waited until most of the people in front of the city gate had left before asking Qi Niang to call the coachman to the crossroads.
"Madam, shall we go straight back to the manor?"
The shop she was referring to wasn't a braised meat shop, but another new shop that Mi Yao was currently renovating.
After seeing the braised meat shop run by Yu Xiu and the others, Mi Yao became interested in decorating the shop. When she chatted with Yu Shaoyang, she discovered that he had a way to buy good tea from Jiangnan and transport it to Yizhou.
Now that she had a product category to sell, Mi Yao began designing the two-story shop herself, intending to...
These past few days, whenever she goes out, it's to check out the shops.
"No, I need to go back to my residence and get some sleep first."
Mi Yao covered her mouth and yawned. As soon as she got in the car, she leaned her head on the soft pillow, looking exhausted.
"The carriage is swaying, Madam, please lean on my shoulder."
As soon as Qi Niang finished speaking, she felt a weight on her shoulders. Smelling the fragrant lady, Qi Niang couldn't bear to think about the kind of good life Xiao Chuan usually lived.
Afraid of disturbing Mi Yao's rest, Qi Niang was careful not to move. After a while, she suddenly frowned, held Mi Yao's head with one hand, and carefully lifted the curtain on the side with the other.
"how?"
Mi Yao's head landed on Qi Niang's warm palm. She rubbed her eyes, and even though she wasn't fully awake, she could tell from Qi Niang's tense expression that something had happened.
Qi Niang handed a dagger to Mi Yao: "This coachman is suspicious. Madam, come with me."
Seeing Qi Niang's serious expression, Mi Yao was taken aback. Could sending Xiao Chuan cause trouble?
Before Mi Yao could think any further, Qi Niang had already lifted the carriage curtain and thrust out her knife at the same time.
As they approached the agreed-upon location, the coachman, knowing the people inside the carriage were resting, hesitated whether to deliver them or muster his courage and give each of them a knife to secure a larger reward.
Just then, a gleaming blade suddenly appeared at his neck. The coachman didn't even realize when Qi Niang had lifted the curtain, and he was so frightened that he trembled.
"Madam, please spare me! I didn't do anything..."
"Pah! You can still do it before it's too late!"
Qi Niang pressed the blade against his neck, and with her other hand she found the long knife hidden under his body. She threw the knife into the carriage and cursed, "The madam gives you such a high monthly salary, and you betray her!"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Madam, I carried the knife to protect you. I don't know any martial arts, but I thought carrying a knife would intimidate thieves..."
"Bullshit!"
Seeing that the coachman was so frightened that he loosened the reins, Qi Niang frowned and pulled on the reins to stop the carriage.
The coachman's behavior was hardly that of a skilled assassin. Qi Niang said sternly, "You said you carried a knife only for self-defense, so where are you going to drive this carriage back to the manor?"
When Mi Yao peeked out, the surrounding scenery was unfamiliar, the roads were narrow, and all she could see were dense trees. There were no people or buildings in sight, and she didn't even know if they were still in Yizhou City.
But even if she wasn't in the city, she wouldn't be too far away. She wasn't completely asleep and was in a semi-conscious state the whole way. She could sense that something was wrong not long after the carriage had gone.
"I took the wrong turn..."
The coachman trembled as he tried to bluff his way out of it, but after only a few words, he felt the skin on his neck being slashed. Little did he know that Qi Niang, such a formidable figure, had appeared beside Mi Yao. "I'll talk, I'll talk. It was the Prince of Jiangning who asked me to bring the lady here. He wants to elope with her."
Qi Niang looked at Mi Yao. Just now on the city wall, she noticed that the handsome man had indeed glanced at Mi Yao a few more times.
It's not impossible that Mi Yao wanted to elope with that man, since he was much more pleasing to the eye than the town magistrate.
"Impossible, turn back."
As soon as Mi Yao finished speaking, Qi Niang punched the coachman hard in the neck, knocking him unconscious. She then picked up the reins and was about to ride away when she saw seven or eight masked men rushing out of the woods.
Seeing that the coachman had been knocked unconscious, but the one wielding the knife was a woman, the group cursed the coachman as a coward who couldn't even be subdued by two women, and then attacked Qi Niang with their long knives.
"Don't worry, Madam. These people are all mediocre; they're just amateurs."
As soon as the group began to move, Qi Niang could tell that they were not up to par.
She stepped forward and snatched a long knife from one of the men, then tossed it into the man's neck.
Seeing that Qi Niang was handling them with ease, Mi Yao, who had originally intended to throw out gold and silver to entice them to turn against her, changed her tone and said coldly, "Keeping one alive is enough."
First, Qi Niang swiftly took someone's life with a swift stroke of her knife. Coupled with Mi Yao's instructions, the group was so frightened that they lost their composure and began to consider retreating.
"Damn it, they said there were only two women!"
One of them saw Qi Niang chop off another person's head as if slicing a melon, while he himself almost had his arm cut off by Qi Niang. He couldn't help but tremble and curse loudly.
Upon hearing this, Mi Yao guessed that these people might not know her background, so she said, "My husband is Xiao Chuan, the adopted son of the military governor. Can the people who bought my life tell you my identity?"
After she finished speaking, the remaining people became even more confused, clearly unaware that they were going to kill Xiao Chuan, the wife of the King of Hell.
Knowing that Mi Yao was not someone to be trifled with, and with Qi Niang, a woman who could cut people like slicing melons, present, the group threw down their knives and ran away, having no intention of fighting again.
Just then, an arrow shot out from the forest, grazing Mi Yao's hair and landing on the carriage wall.
*
Tang Tanyi had just left the city when he received the letter. He heard someone say that Mi Yao wanted to elope with him. He looked at Xiao Chua in front of him, hesitated for a moment, and then made up an excuse that he had left something behind and needed to go back to retrieve it. He turned back to Yizhou.
He rushed into the woods and smelled a strong stench of blood. Fortunately, he headed towards the area with the strongest smell of blood and found only the corpses of several men on the ground, but no sign of Mi Yao.
"Madam Yu, it's me, Tang Tanyi. Are you alright?"
Tang Tanyi was unsure if Mi Yao was still there, so he ordered his men to search while calling out loudly.
"Madam, could it really be that this prince sent people to abduct you and elope with you?"
Qi Niang said to Mi Yao, "Although he is good-looking, his methods are really stupid. Madam, don't be fooled by his appearance. This kind of stupid person is not even as good as the town magistrate."
After the two were attacked, Qi Niang killed the archer, but failed to save the carriage.
The horse, wounded by an arrow, refused to move. With no means of transportation, they had just figured out their direction and were preparing to walk back into the city when they heard the sound of hooves approaching from afar, followed by Tang Tanyi's voice.
The two hid in the woods. When Qi Niang saw that Tang Tanyi's subordinates were about to discover them, she simply spoke up.
"The prince is neither that stupid nor that bad."
Mi Yao spoke calmly, but her expression was still somewhat dazed.
After all, witnessing blood splatter and heads roll is not a fun thing.
She was now glad that she hadn't let anyone around her spread the word that Qi Niang knew martial arts. Outsiders thought that she had gone from taking a group of people out to only taking Qi Niang, and that taking her life would be extremely easy. But they never expected that Qi Niang alone could take on more than a dozen people.
If it weren't for Qi Niang by her side today, she would probably have been riddled with bullets.
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