Chapter 82: Heavy Snow in Winter
"Don't be angry, let me serve you and calm you down." The courtesan knelt beside him, trembling, but foolishly thought this was the moment to show her tenderness and consideration, delusionally hoping to rise to prominence. Her delicate, boneless hands caressed Gu Mingqi's chest, almost teasingly seduce his lust. The courtesan thought she had succeeded, but when she looked up, she met Gu Mingqi's murderous gaze, and she fell to the ground in fear.
Gu Mingqi said with a fierce determination, "I told you to get out."
"If you don't get out of here, you'll die!" Gu Mingqi said harshly, and the courtesan burst into tears, practically crawling out of the room. Kongwu kept his head down the entire time, seemingly unable to hear or see what was happening in the room. When the three of them were alone, Gu Mingqi waved his hand, motioning him to stand up and answer, "Who do you think the other person is?"
Kong Wu recalled the movements of Anliu and the others, "They are not from the army."
"I have never seen him in the capital. I think he is a killer kept in the mansion by the powerful." Kong Wu answered truthfully, but it made Gu Mingqi feel more frightened. He felt as if there were a pair of eyes staring at him in the dark. He recalled what Qin Xiangnuan asked Ma Han and others to pass back. They said that she had evidence in her hands that could bring him down, or even kill him without a burial place.
What could it be? Who could it be?
Gu Mingqi picked up the wine glass and drank the wine in it in one gulp. His eyes regained some clarity. He lowered his voice and instructed his staff, "Don't make any more moves recently. Before New Year's Eve, behave properly and don't let anyone catch you doing anything wrong. Also, be careful when interacting with the ministers in the court. Try not to show it in public."
"Yes." The staff member nodded in agreement. As he was about to leave, he looked at the empty space and was about to ask something when Gu Mingqi spoke up, "You've worked hard too. Go back and rest. If anything happens, I'll naturally send someone with a token to look for you. During this period of time, do not enter the capital without my order, and do not leave the house outside. It's best not to let anyone know of your presence."
Gu Mingqi raised his eyes, his eyes full of indifference as he said, "Food and clothing will be delivered to your house as before."
For years, except when on missions, the Seventh Prince's death squad had lived a life without sunlight. Their only sphere of activity was within that manor. The bustling world outside had nothing to do with them, nor did lust, desire, or hatred. A complex emotion flashed across Kong Wu's eyes, but he lowered his gaze to conceal it, and respectfully replied, "Yes, I obey your command."
The weather suddenly turned gloomy. Snow suddenly fell in the suburbs outside the capital, and the heavy snow made the vision blurry. The coachman said loudly, "I think we should rest! If we continue to travel in this weather, I'm afraid something unexpected will happen." Jiang Lin lifted the curtain of the carriage and nodded in agreement. The few of them found an inn to stay. An Feng asked the waiter for two jars of strong liquor to warm Jiang Lin. The two of them sat in the room, and the atmosphere was somewhat quiet.
"I don't know what's happening with Anliu and the others, and whether they've gotten out of the mountain."
An Feng poured Jiang Lin a glass of wine and warmed his hands in front of the charcoal stove. The warm air made him pinch his red ears and mutter, "This winter is colder than usual. I heard that farmers near the capital have suffered. Many refugees have frozen to death. The government post station will definitely not provide much charcoal to the general's mansion, and our people don't have any."
"If they had bought some in town, it would have been fine. But if they were careless and forgot, they'd be in a tough spot now. The temperature in the mountains is lower than outside. If it snowed, they'd probably freeze to death..." An Feng said as he grabbed two slices of beef and stuffed them into his mouth. Seeing Jiang Lin across from him didn't move, he hurriedly said, "Master, why aren't you moving? Is the food not to your liking? I'll ask the waiter to go again..."
Before An Feng finished speaking, Jiang Lin had already stood up and looked at the dark night outside. "We will set off at dawn tomorrow."
"Get there early and meet up with them."
After saying this, Jiang Lin's mind was completely consumed with worry about Qin Xiangnuan's situation and safety, leaving him no appetite for food. He stood up to leave, and An Feng, unable to discern his expression, asked loudly, "Master, what are we going to do with all this?" Without even turning back, Jiang Lin replied, "You ate it all." An Feng sniffed and wolfed down his food without a second thought. He beckoned the other secret guards over, completely bewildered by Jiang Lin's thoughts.
Phoenix Mountain, on the same snowy night.
Xu Jian looked at the few remaining pieces of charcoal in the bamboo basket. Anliu had brought over what they had brought with them, but even with all the scraps, they still only managed a small pile. Everyone in the general's mansion was wrapped in thick clothes, huddled together in a shivering huddle. The stronger men were stationed on the periphery, offering some protection from the elderly, women, and children inside. Zou carefully calculated the amount of charcoal, burning it bit by bit, but the weak flames barely produced any heat.
“We didn’t think enough.”
Anliu said with some annoyance, "We should have remembered to prepare more when we left Nanfeng Town that day. At that time, we just thought the weather wouldn't get cold so quickly, and thought we would replenish our supplies in the next town." Seeing his face red and swollen from the cold, Qin Xiangnuan gestured for him to come over for warmth and said softly, "It's our inconsiderateness and the last-minute change of route that caused us such trouble."
"I'm afraid this snow will continue to fall for a few more days. We can't stay on the mountain any longer."
If we keep going like this, we'll definitely freeze to death. Qin Xiangnuan picked up a few branches, made them into simple hiking sticks, and distributed them to everyone. She stepped on the stones and said loudly to everyone, "Tomorrow morning, when the sun comes out and it's a little warmer, we'll go down the mountain! We can't delay. If anyone can't walk, support each other. Once we reach the town at the foot of the mountain, everything will be fine."
Qin Xiangnuan's words were like a shot of adrenaline to everyone, and they all responded.
At night, everyone was too cold to sleep. Wang Qiang patched up the few remaining pieces of wolf skin and made a cloak. He handed it to Qin Xiangnuan and silently gestured for her to put it on. Qin Xiangnuan touched the soft and warm wolf fur and looked at Wang Qiang's hands covered with chilblains, "Brother Wang, you have worked hard!"
"It's okay. As long as the Third Miss is in good health, we, the rough folks in the mountains, are used to it."
Wang Qiang scratched his head in a simple manner, looking worriedly at the top of the mountain. He said uneasily, "Miss San, during the previous battle, something seemed amiss on the mountaintop. We need to leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, something unexpected might happen."
Qin Xiangnuan's right eye began to twitch again, as if foreshadowing something.
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