Qiao Ying immediately stepped forward and supported Yun Qianmeng's body, her eyes fixed on her expression, fearing that the incident had frightened the princess.
Yun Qianmeng gently slid her left hand across her abdomen a few times, as if to comfort the child in her belly. After calming down, she put away the musket in her hand, calmed herself down, and slowly said, "I'm fine. Is the carriage under control?"
As he spoke, Yun Qianmeng's gaze had already turned to the outside of the temple. The night rain continued incessantly, and the strong smell of blood could not dissipate even with the rain washing it away. It rushed straight towards the dilapidated temple, causing Yun Qianmeng to frown slightly.
However, thinking of the critical danger just now, Yun Qianmeng's eyes showed a hint of sharpness, and she walked towards the temple gate with the help of Qiao Ying.
After the danger just now, everyone realized that Yun Qianmeng must have someone by her side. The secret guards who were originally ordered by Yun Qianmeng to hide in the dark rushed out and surrounded the temple. Even a swallow could not fly away.
"Reporting to Princess, the frightened horses have been calmed, and Concubine Yuande, Muchun, and Yingxia have also been rescued. Only Concubine Yuande suffered minor injuries." The guard stepped forward to report the outcome of the fight. "It wasn't these bandits who attacked Muchun and the others. They were agile, quick, and ruthless. Their movements and attire were consistent. They must be the Dongyu army that infiltrated the Western Chu border."
While listening to the guard's report, Yun Qianmeng's gaze was cast into the darkness. At this time, peace had returned to the outside world. Apart from the smell of blood and the continuous night rain, everything had returned to peace.
"Did anyone escape alive?" After a while, everyone heard Yun Qianmeng's cold and slightly chilly voice ringing out in the rainy night.
Hearing the princess's stern expression and unusually solemn tone, Qiao Ying couldn't help but focus her full attention on Yun Qianmeng. After a night of fighting, despite being pregnant, the princess's brows were filled with fierceness, and she didn't show a single trace of fatigue. Now, when she asked about the enemies who attacked them at night, her tone was filled with murderous intent. This made Qiao Ying's heart tighten, and she suddenly realized the importance of tonight's matter, and her heart couldn't help but become nervous.
"Don't worry, Princess. We have already wiped out all the bandits according to your plan. Fortunately, you were very smart and sent secret guards to protect Concubine Yuande. All of them, along with the Dongyu soldiers, were killed. No one escaped alive." The guard answered Yun Qianmeng's question in a firm tone, with the same look in his eyes.
After hearing the report, Yun Qianmeng nodded slightly, and only then did she feel relieved.
Yun Qianmeng's gaze suddenly shifted from the woods to the other side. She looked at the road they had come from before and asked in a deep voice, "Have all the secret guards we sent out returned? What's the situation over there?"
After she finished speaking, Yun Qianmeng was already calculating in her mind how many days it would take to walk from here to Jiangnan and Chaocheng respectively. Now that she was pregnant, she naturally had to put the fetus first and must not drive to the north at the risk of her life.
As he was asking, he heard the sound of orderly footsteps not far away...
Hearing the footsteps, the secret guards standing outside the temple did not show any alert expressions, while Yun Qianmeng calmly waited for the newcomer to show up.
"Your humble servant greets the princess." The person who came was the leader of the secret guards. When he appeared in front of Yun Qianmeng, the footsteps had disappeared without a trace. It seemed that they must have hidden in the dark.
Yun Qianmeng nodded slightly and asked calmly, "Are there any casualties? What's the situation over there?"
"My princess, I and others went there at night, caught the enemy off guard, and wiped them out completely. Our casualties were very small." The answer was concise and to the point, which was very consistent with his status.
After hearing this, Yun Qianmeng finally let out a heavy sigh, and she finally relaxed a little, as if the breath that had been held in her heart had finally been released, making Yun Qianmeng look a lot more relaxed.
"Where's the body?" However, after a sigh of relief, other thoughts came to mind. Yun Qianmeng thought about so many bandits and Dongyu soldiers, and dealing with the bodies would be extremely difficult. What's more, Yun Yijie's body was still lying in the temple.
"Don't worry, Princess. I have already brought people to clean up the mess and won't leave any clues." The secret guard still picked out the key points in answering Yun Qianmeng's questions.
"In that case, thank you all for your hard work. Carry the people inside out and bury them, and we will set off immediately." Yun Qianmeng looked up at the sky outside the eaves and saw a gray light in the distance, which was a sign of dawn. He spoke decisively, then stepped out of the door and walked outside.
Seeing this, Qiao Ying immediately took the umbrella at the door, opened it and held it over Yun Qianmeng's head, protecting her as she walked towards the carriage.
"Princess, you haven't slept all night, so you should rest for a while before setting off. Now that we have wiped out these bandits, I believe we can live in peace for a while." Thinking of Yun Qianmeng's calculations and worries along the way, although she had rested in the villa for the past few days, a string in her heart was always taut. Now that she can finally take a breath, Qiao Ying naturally hopes that her master can rest for a while.
But Yun Qianmeng, who had been staring straight ahead, shook her head firmly and said calmly, "With such a big commotion tonight, how could we possibly keep it a secret? Besides, King Chen and King Hai Dongyu are both keeping a close eye on us. With all the noise here, and me just firing, I'm afraid our whereabouts have already been exposed. We can't stay here any longer."
The reason he didn't leave anyone alive was simply to buy some time. However, with the powerful connections of King Chen and King Hai, he was afraid his whereabouts wouldn't be concealed for much longer.
Seeing that the princess' words made sense, Qiao Ying couldn't help but nod her head heavily. When she looked up at the carriage in front of her, she realized that it was the carriage that Concubine Yuande was riding in.
But Yun Qianmeng didn't wait for Qiao Ying to speak to stop her, and she stepped onto the stool brought by the guards and climbed onto the carriage.
"Your servant greets the princess." Despite the thrilling life-and-death situation just now, Muchun and Yingxia still obeyed the princess's previous instructions and stayed by the side of Concubine Yuande.
Yun Qianmeng carefully looked at the two girls. Seeing that they looked fine except for their slightly pale faces, she felt relieved and focused her attention on Concubine Yuande.
But at this time, Concubine Yuande's face was ashen and her hairpin was a little messy. But after seeing Yun Qianmeng coming, she sat upright in the carriage with an arrogant look on her face, which made people want to retreat three feet away at a glance.
"How is the Concubine Dowager's health?" Yun Qianmeng turned to look at Mu Chun, not taking Concubine Yuande's expression of being as if facing a great enemy to heart.
"My princess, the princess only has a few scratches on her palm. It will be fine if she takes good care of herself. Don't worry, Your Majesty." Mu Chun half-lowered her face and answered Yun Qianmeng's questions carefully.
"Since the Concubine Dowager is fine, Qiao Ying, give the order immediately and we will set off immediately." After saying this, Yun Qianmeng did not return to her own carriage. Instead, she took a step closer to the carriage and slowly sat down on the seat by the window.
"Yes." Qiao Ying knew very well that she shouldn't say too much in front of Concubine Yuande, so she paid her respects to Yun Qianmeng and quickly left the carriage.
Seeing that Yun Qianmeng had no intention of leaving, Concubine Yuande's forced calmness flickered with a hint of annoyance. She spoke impatiently, "Princess Chu is in such a good mood today that she actually came to ride in the same carriage with me. Could it be that Princess Chu's men are insufficient to deal with the foreign enemies and she wants to curry favor with me in the hope that the Emperor will lend a hand?"
Yun Qianmeng asked Mu Chun and Ying Xia, "Why didn't you shoot?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Mu Chun and Ying Xia's faces showed shame. Mu Chun stood between Yun Qianmeng and Concubine Yuande, and finally whispered, "It was all our carelessness. We wanted to shoot, but the horses were already galloping. As soon as Ying Xia and I took out our rifles, we were soaked by the heavy rain that poured into the carriage. Please punish us, Princess."
As they spoke, Mu Chun and Ying Xia began to kneel down...
Yun Qianmeng reached out and helped the two of them up, saying with a faint smile, "I'm glad you're all okay."
Mu Chun and Ying Xia were only maids in the inner courtyard, not soldiers on the battlefield. They didn't know how to ride or hunt, so they naturally couldn't shoot in a swaying carriage. The fact that the three of them were safe and sound was a close call, so Yun Qianmeng naturally didn't blame them.
The shaft began to turn, and the carriage began to run, leaving the dark forest and heading towards the flat road...
In Emperor Dexi’s military camp.
"Your Majesty, I have an urgent matter to report." The heavy rain continued in Jiangnan. The heavy rain for several days trapped all parties in the military camps. The armies of several parties in Jiangnan were temporarily in a state of truce and adjustment. At this time, Ning Feng strode into the tent and saluted Jiang Muchen who was reviewing memorials.
Seeing Ning Feng in a hurry, Jiang Muchen recalled that nothing major had happened in the military camp in recent days. He immediately understood what was going on and waved his hand to let all the ministers leave. He then put down the memorial in his hand and asked with a slightly excited tone, "Is there any progress?"
Ning Feng saw that Emperor Dexi was full of joy, and knew that this matter could not be concealed, so he could only tell the truth in a low voice.
At this time, in the northwest camp of the King of the Sea, Hai Quan was making strategic adjustments in response to the King of Chu's recent attacks. All the soldiers gathered around the map, making suggestions and discussing with Hai Quan.
As he was speaking, the guard who had been guarding outside the tent came in and bowed to the Sea King and reported, "Your Highness, there is a man outside the camp who is clamoring to see you."
When everyone heard that the guard had rashly rushed in to report to the Sea King about such a thing, they all frowned.
Yuan Yao even shouted, "Can't you see that the prince is planning something important? Who allowed you to barge in like this without any military discipline? Besides, who is our prince? How can anyone see him?"
The guard, who had been lowering his head even lower after being rebuked by Yuan Yao, still reported, "General Yuan, that man claimed to be from the Dexi Emperor's camp and was clamoring to see the prince. I was afraid it was something important, so I came here to report it."
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