Chapter 96 Turning Point (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
Fu Mingzi was in a state of utter confusion. He could almost imagine the consequences of his departure. Fu Mingfeng would definitely notice something was wrong. With Fu Mingfeng's shrewdness, he would surely understand that he could not escape the family's punishment. Therefore, he would immediately clean up the mess and completely sever his ties with the Xia family. He might even send a message to the Xia family to warn them.
Fu Mingzi frowned. His trip to Qinghe had indeed been a mixed bag. Although he had diverted Fu Mingfeng's attention, he had also found himself trapped in enemy territory.
This result left him feeling truly resentful.
But no matter how unwilling she was, Fu Mingzi wouldn't turn back at this point. Compared to seizing leverage over the Xia family, her own life was more important.
The group continued running towards the capital without looking back. Half an hour later, the guards who had been leading the way suddenly stopped.
"What happened?" Fu Mingzi asked, frowning.
A guard turned his horse around and reported, "Fifth Master, there are people blocking the road ahead."
Fu Mingzi's heart skipped a beat. Could it be one of Fu Mingfeng's men?
Without a second thought, he hurriedly spurred his horse forward and asked in a low voice, "Have you seen who it is?"
The guard lowered his head and said, "I'm wearing civilian clothes, so it's hard to see clearly."
Fu Mingzi felt inexplicably flustered, but remained calm on the surface. When he reached the front, he finally saw the person blocking his way.
Fu Mingzi's eyes lit up, and her previously gloomy heart suddenly felt enlightened.
"How come it's you?" Fu Mingzi ignored the guards' attempts to stop her and walked towards the people blocking her way. "Did Second Brother send you?"
It turned out that the person blocking the road was none other than Fu Mingbai's deputy general. This was the same person who greeted Fu Mingzi when he went to the Yuntai camp last time.
Upon seeing Fu Mingzi, the man hurriedly rode forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your subordinate, Zhao Xing, greets Fifth Master."
Fu Mingzi nodded, then said to the people behind him, "Don't be nervous, this Vice General Zhao is one of Second Brother's men."
After saying that, he looked at Zhao Xing and asked, "Did Second Brother send you here?"
He had mentioned his mission to Fu Mingbo in that letter, but he never expected that Fu Mingbo would actually send someone to pick him up.
Zhao Xing shook his head: "It's not Second Master's idea, it's Fifth Prince's idea, and Second Master is just following Fifth Prince's orders."
Fu Mingzi was taken aback, then her mind cleared, and she couldn't help but feel a sweet warmth in her heart.
It turned out to be Zhou Xiaoyan. Although he already knew that there shouldn't be any major problems with his line of work, he still had his second brother find someone to pick him up.
However, this also made things convenient for him, and Fu Mingzi hurriedly said, "Let's talk in private."
Zhao Xing was an honest man. He nodded and followed Fu Mingzi to the side of the road.
"I fled from Qinghe County in a hurry this time, and things are a bit complicated now. If you trust me, please help me this time. When we get back, I will explain things to my second brother."
Fu Mingzi was already unwilling to flee in such a sorry state, and now that Zhou Xiaoyan had suddenly sent him manpower, he was even less likely to let this opportunity pass.
"Fifth Master, please just tell me your orders. When I came out, Second Master instructed me to follow your instructions." Zhao Xing clasped his hands in a fist salute.
Fu Mingzi nodded, pondered for a moment, then glanced at the people behind Zhao Xing and asked in a low voice, "How many people did you bring with you this time?"
Zhao Xing glanced at his brothers not far away and said in a deep voice, "Besides these few, there are another twenty or thirty brothers in the woods ahead."
Fu Mingzi's face lit up with joy: "That's enough, that's enough."
After saying that, he repeated his plan.
Zhao Xing listened attentively until Fu Mingzi finished speaking before saying, "What Fifth Master is talking about isn't difficult for us brothers to handle, but we just don't know how long it will take."
Fu Mingzi's face lit up with joy, and he said with a smile, "It won't be long before the messenger returns to the capital. The people from the capital will arrive as early as tonight, or at the latest tomorrow night, and then you won't need to trouble yourselves anymore."
Zhao Xing nodded: "Yes, Your subordinate obeys."
Fu Mingzi nodded, and then walked out with Zhao Xing. Fu Mingzi pointed to a few guards and said loudly, "You few will act together with Deputy General Zhao and follow his orders."
The head guard frowned slightly: "And what about you, Fifth Master? We are under orders from the First Master to protect you."
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "I'll be working with Deputy General Zhao, so don't worry."
The head guard still wouldn't budge: "Then I want to follow Fifth Master."
Fu Mingzi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Alright, then let's go together."
After speaking, Fu Mingzi looked at Uncle Fu: "Uncle Fu, are you and Cheng-ge'er coming with me, or are you going back to the capital first?"
Uncle Fu was taken aback by Fu Mingzi's question and then said, "Naturally, I will follow Fifth Master."
Now he and Cheng are tied to Fu Mingzi. If anything happens to Fu Mingzi, he and Cheng will be doomed even if they return to Beijing. Uncle Fu understands this very well.
"Alright, Deputy General Zhao, you can allocate the manpower now." Fu Mingzi nodded to Zhao Xing.
As expected of Fu Mingbai's deputy general, Zhao Xing had strong organizational skills. He quickly divided his men and the guards from the Duke of Jingguo's mansion into four groups and gave each group a strong bow.
"Keep a close eye on the main gates of Qinghe County. If anyone comes out to deliver a message, stop them immediately. If a message is sent by carrier pigeon, shoot it down immediately. No mistakes are allowed." Zhao Xing gave the stern order after assigning the men.
These men were all soldiers accustomed to obedience, and they all responded loudly in agreement.
Seeing the twenty-odd people scatter and head towards the four city gates of Qinghe County, the head guard asked with a grave expression, "Fifth Master, can we really hold this position?"
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "Seven or eight people couldn't hold it before, but now with Second Brother's elite troops, there's no problem."
Although Fu Mingzi spoke with absolute certainty, he was actually quite uneasy inside. Fu Mingfeng had taken in countless refugees and unemployed people from Qinghe County.
Although he estimated that Fu Mingfeng wouldn't dare to really fight to the death, it was still a sword hanging over Fu Mingzi's head, making him uneasy.
However, it seems that the worst-case scenario is still the case. Compared to the displaced people, the elite troops are much stronger, and they can both attack and defend, so they are not too passive.
"Fifth Master, there's no need for further words. Even if it means my death, I will protect you and ensure your safety," Zhao Xing declared from the side.
Fu Mingzi smiled but didn't say anything. The reason he stayed was because the threat to his life was no longer so serious for him.
After that, the group said nothing more and headed back the way they came. This time, they returned faster than they had come, thanks to Zhao Xing's fast marching speed, which allowed them to get there quickly.
They walked all the way to the city gate and hid in a small grove of trees outside the gate. This place offered a clear view of all the movements at the city gate and provided excellent concealment.
Zhao Xing looked at the city gate with his telescope and said after a long while, "There are many more people at the city gate. It seems they are checking everyone entering and leaving the city."
Fu Mingzi's heart skipped a beat. He knew that Fu Mingfeng had probably received news of his departure.
"Keep a close watch. If anyone suspicious comes out, stop them immediately," Fu Mingzi said in a low voice.
Zhao Xing nodded, assigned the men, and then said to Fu Mingzi, "Fifth Master, go and rest first. I'll keep an eye on things here."
Fu Mingzi did not refute, nodded, and walked to the side.
Uncle Fu found a fallen tree trunk, spread his handkerchief on it, and then invited Fu Mingzi to sit down.
Fu Mingzi herself wasn't so particular, but she didn't refuse Uncle Fu's kind offer.
The group waited in the woods for several hours. As dusk approached, Fu Mingzi grew impatient. Finally, news came from ahead.
"Fifth Master, someone is riding out of the city at full speed; they might be a messenger."
Fu Mingzi was startled and quickly stood up.
"Where is Deputy General Zhao?" he asked.
"The lieutenant has led men to intercept that person. Fifth Master, rest assured, they will not fail." The messenger's expression was firm.
Fu Mingzi naturally had no doubt about these words. The person who delivered the message was just an ordinary guard. How could he compare to elite soldiers and generals?
Sure enough, a short while later, Deputy General Zhao came over with a person in tow. The person had his head down and looked like he was no longer conscious.
Deputy General Zhao threw the man directly at Fu Mingzi's feet and said loudly, "Fifth Master, this is indeed a messenger." After saying that, he presented the letter tube that had been found.
Fu Mingzi took it, paused for a moment, and finally opened the mailbox.
Fu Mingzi's face grew increasingly grim as she read the letter.
As expected, it was a letter to the Xia family. However, the letter not only conveyed the news that the incident had been exposed and asked the Xia family to prepare in advance, but also revealed several secrets of the Fu family, which was completely unexpected by Fu Mingzi.
He hadn't expected that Fu Mingfeng would hate the Fu family so much that even if he were to perish, he wouldn't let the Fu family have an easy time, and even wanted to use the Xia family to deal with the Fu family.
Fu Mingzi's eyes were like knives. He really didn't understand what the Fu family had done to offend Fu Mingfeng, that he would betray his own family like this.
Looking at Fu Mingzi's expression, Uncle Fu felt a little uneasy, but seeing that Fu Mingzi's hand was clenching tighter and tighter, almost tearing the letter to shreds, Uncle Fu still carefully said, "Fifth Master, don't be angry. When the family comes, there will be an explanation."
Uncle Fu didn't dare to get involved in this matter, so he spoke very carefully.
Fu Mingzi then came to her senses, sighed deeply, folded the letter that was almost crumpled in her hand, and stuffed it into her sleeve.
“Keep an eye on him. Third Brother is always meticulous in his actions. This person is probably not the only messenger. There might be someone else.” Fu Mingzi’s voice was somewhat hoarse.
Zhao Xing also noticed that Fu Mingzi was in a bad mood, so he didn't dare to say anything, clasped his hands in greeting, and left.
Sure enough, within an hour, Zhao Xing captured six or seven messengers, some carrying letters and some not, making it difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake.
Fu Mingzi, however, remained unyielding, only sneering, "Regardless of whether it's true or false, if there's even the slightest discrepancy, take them down."
Fu Mingfeng probably knew they were outnumbered, so he wanted to use a war of attrition against them. However, he did not expect Zhao Xing and the others to appear. Therefore, in this scheme, he lost the initiative.
The fatigue tactic lasted for an hour, but things eventually calmed down. After all, Fu Mingfeng didn't have many men under his command, so he couldn't be too reckless.
However, Fu Mingzi and his men kept their eyes fixed on the city gate, not daring to relax for a moment.
It was late at night, just an hour before dawn, when Zhao Xing suddenly came over and woke up Fu Mingzi, who had just been dozing off.
"Fifth Master, the people from the manor have arrived." Zhao Xing's tone held a hint of excitement.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
