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Cui Dongchi was a businessman, but he had been planning for a long time and had placed many confidants in the Jianchuan army. As a result, some of the generals in the Jianchuan army were his men. Furthermore, because he married a girl from the Xu family and relied on his father-in-law, Xu Haiting, 50% of the Jianchuan army was under his command.
After clearing out Li Ling's troops in Runan, he sent reliable generals to guard the north and south of Lingnan. He did not stay long and led his army westward back to Jianchuan.
Staying in Lingnan for even a day longer would cause uncontrollable misunderstandings. He didn't want Lu Chang to think that he was always thinking about Lingnan.
It wasn't until a scout reported that Yuan Qifeng, who was stationed at the foot of Fengming Mountain, was making unusual moves that he personally led 5,000 soldiers to Dancheng.
Cui Dongchi underestimated Yuan Qifeng. The Jianchuan army's western expedition was ostensibly to "pacify external threats and protect the capital," so Yuan wouldn't say much.
But now, he has personally led troops to Dancheng, isn't this a clear indication that he's coming to cause trouble for me?
Yuan Qifeng was different from them. He received imperial favor and rose through the ranks, achieving high positions and rapid advancement.
He was more loyal to the emperor than to the Great Wei.
Such a person, if he suspects that I have ulterior motives, would rather not wipe out the bandits on Fengming Mountain than eliminate me first.
Dancheng can be abandoned, but his family cannot. Before Yuan arrives in Dancheng, he must hurry to take his family away, and he must do so discreetly so that they do not easily discover his presence.
Yuan Qifeng did not lead his army further east, but instead stationed himself in Luoxia Town within Jianchuan County.
At midnight, a dozen or so people dressed in ordinary clothes left Luoxia Town, their horses galloping towards Dancheng in the west.
Cui Lang was a man who had seen a lot in life. After his son led his troops away from Jianchuan, he naturally wanted to protect Jianchuan for his son and keep an eye on Yuan Qifeng.
When the spies reported that Yuan Qifeng was leading 5,000 soldiers to Dancheng, Cui Lang knew things were going badly. He simply ordered his groom to drive the carriage and take his family eastward.
"Now that Lingnan is at peace, we will leave Jianchuan and send people to Lingnan."
Gu Qingchen didn't know why her father was in such a hurry to send her away from Dancheng. She complained a few times before being pushed into the carriage.
Knowing that his daughter was raised with great care, Mr. Cui couldn't help but earnestly instruct her before the carriage departed: "Don't waste any time on the road. Just think of it as an escape for your life!"
Gu Qingchen was about to ask more questions when Cui's father lowered the carriage curtain, and all that could be heard outside was Cui Lang urging the coachman to hurry up.
They dared not make a large entourage when traveling, only sending their household guards to protect them on either side.
Gu Qingchen was confused about something and wanted to complain, but seeing Xu Yingying's serious expression in the carriage, she became unusually timid and remained silent.
Sitting next to Xu Yingying was Chunlai, whose face was pale. Although she didn't know what had happened, her hasty departure made her uneasy. She nervously clutched a jade pendant where no one could see her, trying to calm herself down.
For a moment, everyone in the carriage fell silent.
They traveled swiftly without stopping, day and night. Gu Qingchen tried several times to find an inn to stay at, but Xu Yingying stopped him each time. They only changed horses and carriages in the cities they passed through before continuing their journey. They slept by the roadside day and night and never stopped to stay overnight.
Gu Qingchen was naive, but Xu Yingying knew that this matter concerned life and death. The fact that Cui's father was in such a hurry to send them away must mean that something had happened in Dancheng. If they fell into the hands of Cui Dongchi's enemies, they would become the enemy's bargaining chips to blackmail Cui Dongchi.
Gu Qingchen was still making a fuss. She hadn't washed or groomed herself for several days and wanted to stay at an inn. Xu Yingying couldn't help but slap her.
The slap wasn't forceful, but it was extremely humiliating. Gu Qingchen touched her burning face, momentarily incredulous: "You dare hit me?"
Xu Yingying glared at her fiercely: "If you don't want to die, talk less and hurry up. If you manage to reach Lingnan safely, you'll thank me for this slap!"
They slept in the forest, and whenever they entered the city, they would buy some dry food for the next journey. After eating for more than ten days, it was really hard to swallow. In the spring, they borrowed a pot from a villager and cooked some pickled meat soup. They ate a piece of flatbread and a piece of pickled meat soup, and finally, in these days of fleeing, they had some taste.
There wasn't much broth, not enough for more than a dozen people. After the last spoonful was scooped out, there wasn't any left for her.
They arrived in a hurry and couldn't make too much of a fuss, so Xu Yingying and Gu Qingchen didn't bring their own maids. Apart from a group of guards, only Chunlai was there to do the work. Even though she was being bossed around by the two women, she didn't feel tired at all and just quietly ate her pancakes on the side.
In the evening, the group rested in the woods. The two women slept in the carriage, while she herself leaned against the wheel at the lower end of the carriage.
I can't sleep; when I'm hungry, I'm more awake than anything else.
She had a jade pendant in her sleeve; Cui Dongchi had stayed in her room the night he led his troops away from Jianchuan.
She thought he would go to the mistress's room, and she had already gone to bed early, but he came instead.
"You didn't even wait for me!" He held her tightly through the fragrant quilt, their breaths mingling, inseparable.
He left in the middle of the night, and before leaving, Cui Dongchi left her the bat-shaped jade pendant.
Chunlai recognized the jade pendant; it was left to Cui Dongchi by the old lady of the Cui family, and he had worn it since he was a child. The character "蝠" (fú) is a homophone for "福" (fú), meaning good fortune, and his mother hoped that he would have good fortune throughout his life.
She refused, saying that war involves bloodshed and that he should wear the jade pendant properly.
He got a little angry, shoved the things into her hands, and left.
Chunlai dared not let the two women see it, so she hid the jade pendant in her sleeve. She touched the warm and smooth jade and prayed for his safety again and again.
As long as he returns safely, nothing else matters. She's willing to stay in that little courtyard for the rest of her life. Whether he comes or not, as long as he's safe and sound...
When the carriage entered Fukang City, the men sent by Cui Dongchi also arrived. A dozen soldiers and Cui family guards escorted the family members to Luoxia Town in the east.
However, an accident still occurred on the road. The convoy had not gone far when a group of soldiers attacked and arrested people.
This was an ambush that had been planned long ago.
Fu Kang's garrison commander, Ma Rulong, was a subordinate of Yuan Qifeng. A secret message had been delivered by carrier pigeon, ordering Ma Rulong to capture the women of the Cui family alive.
He stared at the group of people coming from the east, and after seeing them meet up with another caravan, he guessed that the women of the Cui family were among them. Ma Rulong personally led a hundred men to capture them.
The Cui family guards were not ordinary martial artists; they possessed the skills of elite soldiers. The soldiers sent by Cui Dongchi were also highly skilled in martial arts. However, the enemy had a large and powerful army, and the convoy was eventually scattered.
One soldier kicked aside the murdered coachman and drove the carriage eastward first, while the remaining soldiers blocked the road and escorted the carriage away.
Although the three women inside the carriage were hiding from the sight of the swords and spears, the sound of blood splattering onto the outside of the carriage was enough to make them unable to stand up straight.
Gu Qingchen hugged Xu Yingying and cried, "I don't want to die... I don't want to die..."
Xu Yingying didn't speak, her ten fingers digging into the cushion, the tips of her fingers turning white, even her well-maintained nails were broken.
Chunlai touched the jade pendant in her hand and felt less uneasy than before. If it was fate, then she could only accept it.
The carriage sped along, and in the end, apart from the soldier driving it, only one soldier followed behind.
We can't take the carriage anymore; it's too slow, and we'll be overtaken soon.
The soldier cut the ropes connecting the carriage to the horses with a single stroke, explaining the situation to the three women: they had no choice but to leave on horseback, or they would all die.
None of the three women knew how to ride a horse.
They were still a few days away from Luoxia Town. If they encountered pursuers again on the way, they would have no choice but to surrender.
Now, among the three, a choice must be made: two soldiers each take one female relative, and one female relative must stay behind.
Saying they stayed is less accurate than saying they were trying to escape!
Even without pursuers, they were in the mountains at night, and even if the pursuers didn't catch up, bandits and wild beasts could still easily take the life of an unarmed woman.
Under the moonlight, Chunlai's face was the palest. She blinked gently, looking bewildered and helpless.
For Gu Qingchen, there was no point in thinking about it; she was the eldest daughter of the Cui family and couldn't possibly stay here. Xu Yingying was Cui Dongchi's legal wife, and she was also bound to leave.
Only when spring came, before Cui Dongchi had taken her into his household, she was still not freed from her status as a slave.
Xu Yingying glanced at Chunlai beside her, forcing herself to remain calm, and asked only, "What were the young master's instructions before you came?"
The soldiers exchanged glances and said, "The young master said he wants to bring his family and relatives along as well."
The hand touching the jade pendant trembled, and Chunlai's thin shoulders and back became much more listless.
Xu Yingying said no more. She patted Chunlai's hand and mounted her horse first.
Soon, the two horses galloped forward with the people on them.
Xu Yingying, still on horseback, couldn't help but look back. Under the moonlight, on the muddy road, beside the deep forest, Chunlai stood there steadily. She didn't chase after them, nor did she watch them leave. Instead, she stood firmly on the ancient road, her head bowed, like a stone sculpture.
No sooner had Xu Yingying and her group left than Chunlai heard the sound of horses' hooves. She guessed that the pursuers had caught up. She looked around and decided to slip into the dense forest on one side.
She didn't notice the path under her feet as she ran in, and after missing a step, she tumbled down quite a distance.
The pursuers followed the hoofprints but failed to find her in the dense forest. Could this be considered good luck?
But now, what should we do?
Apart from the jade pendant, she had nothing of value on her, and even the dry rations she had to eat during her escape were lost.
How will she get to Luoxia Town?
Remembering the phrase "bring all your family members here," she sat alone in the dense forest and realized that she had been with Cui Dongchi for more than ten years, but she was just a maidservant by his side. How could she be considered his family?
He had been deluding himself, even believing she was his closest person.
She gave a bitter smile and limped out of the woods step by step.
Half a month later, Xu Yingying and Gu Qingchen arrived in Luoxia Town. Cui Dongchi came to pick them up. He was relieved to see that the two were safe and sound. However, when he looked back and saw no one, Gu Qingchen thought he was looking for her father. She said, "Father said he was going to Binzhou and wasn't coming with us. Dongchi, what happened? Why did we have to leave Dancheng?"
Cui Dongchi did not reply. Xu Yingying looked at his cold face and knew what he wanted to ask, but she did not want to provoke him, so she remained silent.
"Where is Chunlai? Where is she?" Gu Qingchen was still rambling on when Cui Dongchi interrupted her and asked.
He looked at Xu Yingying, his eyes filled with frost, and gripped his sword tightly to avoid letting anyone see that his hand was trembling.
He didn't know that this was fear, this was terror.
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