Chapter 71 Southern Jiangxi 2: The Young Lady Disguised as a Man
As night deepened, the vermilion corner gates of the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence appeared exceptionally solemn and cold under the torchlight.
Xiao Heng dismounted nimbly and stepped across the threshold with hurried steps. His brows were covered with an unyielding frost. Without even changing out of his flying fish robe, he went straight to Jingsong Hall.
In Jingsong Hall.
Qin was like an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth anxiously.
Upon seeing Xiao Heng return, she immediately stepped forward and grabbed his arm, her voice trembling as she said, "Heng'er, what exactly happened? Why did your sister-in-law suddenly go to see Lao Qi, and why did Lao Qi suddenly appear in southern Jiangxi? I really can't understand it!"
Xiao Heng supported the almost collapsed Qin Shi, his voice calm: "Things have come to this point, Mother, there's no use in thinking too much. We should come up with a plan as soon as possible."
Qin's face was as white as paper. If Xiao Heng hadn't been supporting her, she would have collapsed to the ground long ago. She gripped her son's sleeve tightly, her voice trembling uncontrollably, muttering to herself, "A solution, a solution... This matter is no small thing. We must keep it a secret at all costs. We absolutely cannot let the old lady know. She's old; how can she withstand such a shock? We also cannot let the Duke of Wei's mansion know. Not a single word can leak out. Your sister-in-law disappeared around noon, so she shouldn't have gone too far. We must immediately send our trusted confidants to search for her. Send them now!"
Xiao Heng pressed down on Qin Shi's trembling shoulders, his gaze calm and reassuring, and said clearly, "Mother, rest assured, your son has already arranged capable people to track down Third Sister's whereabouts along the way."
He paused, then said firmly, "Precisely because this matter is urgent and concerns the safety of Third Sister, we cannot hide it from the Duke of Wei's mansion. The carriage is ready. Please come with me to the Duke of Wei's mansion immediately to tell you the truth and discuss countermeasures together."
"Are you out of your mind!" Madam Qin's eyes widened, almost shouting, "Who is Cui Ying? She is the apple of the eye of the Duke of Wei's family! If they find out that Cui Ying chased after Qi Yu to that deadly place in southern Jiangxi, how will our Xiao family explain ourselves? Wouldn't this be turning a marriage alliance into an enmity instead!"
"Precisely because she is the daughter of the Duke of Wei, we cannot afford to conceal the truth and miss the opportunity."
Xiao Heng's tone was more forceful than ever before, with the decisiveness of someone handling a case: "If Third Sister suffers even the slightest mishap because of this, my Xiao family will be guilty beyond redemption. At this moment, the only way is to be honest with each other and rely on the strength of both families to find her as quickly as possible."
Qin was stunned by his words. In an instant, all the words of opposition were stuck in her throat, and in the end, they could only turn into a sigh, with tears streaming down her face, saying, "What sins have I committed? One after another, they are all causing me trouble."
...
In half a day, the Marquis's carriage arrived at the Duke of Wei's residence.
When the gatekeeper saw that it was the Third Master of the Xiao family and his mother visiting late at night, he knew that something important must have happened. He dared not delay and hurriedly led them into the main hall and immediately informed his superiors.
Cui Yan and Madam Kong had already retired for the night, but upon hearing this, a vague unease rose in their hearts. They hurriedly put on their clothes and went to the main hall, their faces full of doubt.
Xiao Heng dismissed his attendants and solemnly recounted Cui Ying's letter and her journey to southern Jiangxi to find her husband.
As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the hall seemed to freeze.
Upon hearing this, Kong trembled, his vision went black, and the teacup in his hand fell to the ground with a "crack," shattering into pieces.
Her body went limp and she fell backward. Fortunately, the old nanny beside her caught her in time, preventing her from fainting. However, her face was deathly pale, her lips were trembling, and she couldn't say a word. Only tears streamed down her face silently.
Cui Yan was stunned for a moment, but when he came to his senses, he immediately flew into a rage and slammed his hand on the rosewood tea table next to him, making the tea set clang loudly.
"That little brat! How dare she! How dare she be so audacious! Running all alone into that battlefield? Does she have no respect for the law?!"
Cui Yan was furious; his chest heaved violently, and his eyes seemed to spit fire.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Qin was at a loss for how to react, so she could only wipe away her tears along with Kong.
Xiao Heng stepped forward, cupped his hands to Cui Yan, and said in a deep voice, "Uncle, please calm down. This situation is entirely due to the Xiao family's lax discipline and inadequate supervision. The Xiao family cannot shirk its responsibility. But the most important thing right now is to find Third Sister. I have already ordered people to track her down along the official roads, waterways, and all major roads leading to southern Jiangxi. I have also arranged for people to thoroughly inquire at all the inns and post stations along the way. We must find Third Sister as quickly as possible and bring her back safely."
Cui Yan looked at Xiao Heng with bloodshot eyes. Although he was furious, he still retained a sliver of reason. He waved his hand forcefully and said in a resolute tone, "There's no need to waste your energy investigating those inns. I, as her father, know that girl's temperament best. Since she's determined to run away secretly, she will never take the usual main road, nor will she stay at an official inn and leave any trace. She will definitely sneak around and choose those secluded and difficult paths, and hide in remote inns."
"However, this is also my fault."
After his initial outburst of anger, Cui Yan stared blankly at the ground, a look of regret in his eyes. He muttered to himself, "Tuantuan was different from other young ladies from a young age. She disliked needlework and embroidery, but instead adored martial arts. When her teacher taught her to read, she would let it go in one ear and out the other. But as soon as she heard her brothers practicing martial arts on horseback in the training ground, she would become restless like a little monkey, trying every possible way to sneak away and watch. Later, she even pestered him to let her learn with her..."
"At that time, I thought it was no big deal for a woman to learn some self-defense skills. It would be good if she was stronger and less prone to illness, so I let her be. Who would have thought that I would let her become so arrogant and ignorant! She has learned a little bit of kung fu and thinks she is invincible, that she can go to heaven and earth and even dare to brave mountains of knives and seas of fire!"
His voice grew softer and softer, trembling more and more as he spoke. His mind was filled with all sorts of terrible scenarios that his daughter might encounter alone, each one like a knife, cutting deep into his heart.
Cui Yan raised his hand to his forehead, letting out an extremely suppressed sigh, his throat choked with emotion.
Inside the large main hall, only the sound of sobbing could be heard.
Xiao Heng stood silently in the hall, listening to the sorrowful cries and self-reproach filling the room. He slowly moved to the door, looked up at the night sky, and saw a cold moon hanging alone and sparse stars dim.
"Third Sister, Seventh Brother, when are you two going to stop this nonsense?"
The world was vast and desolate, and Xiao Heng sighed silently.
...
In the mountains, the night was bitterly cold.
A damp, cold mist spread out, and the mountain wind whistled through the dense forests and deep valleys, carrying with it the long howls of unknown wild beasts in the distance.
On a relatively open, gentle slope, the bandit suppression army's camp was built according to the terrain.
The campfire roared and crackled softly. The air was filled with the damp smell of earth, the stench of decaying leaves, and the sweat that inevitably emanates from a large group of men gathered together.
Near the central command tent, in an inconspicuous tent, an oil lamp flickered dimly.
Xiao Qiyu removed his arm armor and examined a badly worn sheepskin map in the dim light. His originally fair and cool face was now tinged with a hard tan by the sun and rain of southern Jiangxi, which made his phoenix eyes look even deeper and sharper.
At that moment, the tent flap was lifted by a rough, large hand, bringing in an even stronger chill and a rich aroma of meat.
A burly general with a full beard walked in carrying a large, rough earthenware bowl. It was more like a basin than a bowl, as it was piled high with steaming hot boiled mutton.
"I've been busy all day, let's eat something to fill our stomachs first."
The general's voice boomed as he placed the bowl on a corner of the table: "The cook just prepared this. In this desolate place, this is the only thing that's edible."
Xiao Qiyu didn't even lift his eyelids, his gaze still wandering across the map, clearly his mind was still focused on the intricate mountain terrain.
The general looked at his cold, hard profile, outlined by the lamplight, sighed, and softened his tone: "I say, Seventh Brother, this battle in southern Jiangxi is long and the rewards are meager. It's all hard work that doesn't pay off. Why do you, with your precious body, have to endure this with us roughnecks? You..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Qiyu finally raised his eyes, his gaze calm and unwavering, and interrupted him directly: "General Chen, please speak your mind."
Chen Fengnian clasped his hands together above his head and said, "Ancestors, dear ancestors, I beg you, please go back to the capital."
"If you lose another hair here, your uncle will chop me to pieces. I'm begging you, I'll kneel down for you, okay?" As soon as he finished speaking, he made a move to get up.
Xiao Qiyu frowned, his voice steady and unreadable, as he looked at Chen Fengnian: "Uncle Chen, you are my uncle's former subordinate and my elder. Are you deliberately trying to shorten my lifespan by performing such a grand gesture in front of me?"
Chen Fengnian immediately straightened up: "I didn't say that!"
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent, and a guard shouted from outside the door: "Reporting to the general! The brothers on patrol have caught a suspicious person at the edge of the western forest!"
Chen Fengnian, who was just looking for a way to change the subject, immediately raised his voice and said, "Suspicious? How suspicious?"
The guard said, "The young woman, disguised as a man, is in a terrible state. She keeps saying that she came here to find her man."
"You've come all the way to the bandit-suppression camp looking for a man?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Fengnian chuckled and shook his head at Xiao Qiyu: "It's really strange that the door is opened for the strangest of all. In this desolate wilderness, where bandits have not yet been eliminated, a little girl dressed as a man suddenly appears, looking for a man? Nine times out of ten, she is a spy sent by the bandits. Using a honey trap is nothing new."
He called out from outside the tent: "Never mind all that, lock him up and interrogate him carefully!"
After saying that, he turned to look at Xiao Qiyu and continued laughing, "Seventh Brother, tell me, isn't this funny? This excuse is just too—"
Xiao Qiyu raised his face.
The boy, who had been focused on the map just moments before, suddenly narrowed his phoenix eyes, a sharp and swift light flashing in them, like a tinder suddenly lit in the darkness.
He suddenly stood up, his movement so fast it created a gust of wind, nearly overturning the oil lamp on the table.
He didn't even glance at Chen Fengnian, only uttering a casual "I'll go take a look," before striding out of the tent and disappearing into the night.
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Author's Note: I apologize for the late update and for not updating six times a day. I'm going through the worst period of my life so far, and I'm trying my best to get through it and update as much as possible.
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