Chapter 70 has an ambush.
"Ambush! Form a shield formation!" Pei Zhi shouted. The Imperial Guards immediately raised their shields, and an impregnable shield formation quickly took shape. Ye Wanning drew her sword and looked up at the hillside—she saw dozens of Tianyan Sect disciples and a dozen or so Turkic remnants standing there. The leading Tianyan Sect elder, dressed in a black robe, held a longbow and stared coldly at her.
"Ye Wanning, hand over the tiger tally and the map, and I'll spare your entire army!" The elder's voice echoed through the valley, filled with arrogance.
"You clowns, do you even deserve the Tiger Tally and the map?" Ye Wanning sneered, taking out the Tiger Tally from her bosom, pressing her fingertip to the groove in the center of the Tiger Tally, and reciting the secret incantation: "May the mountains and rivers be forever secure, and may the sun and moon shine together!"
This was a secret code to mobilize nearby troops. She had used it once before in Black Wind Valley, and she knew that there was a garrison fifty miles away from Soul Broken Valley. As long as the code was sent, they could arrive within half an hour.
"You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences!" the elder roared, waving his hand to order his men to charge. The disciples of the Tianyan Sect were highly skilled in martial arts, and the remnants of the Turkic army were also extremely fierce. They quickly broke through the shield formation and engaged the Imperial Guards in battle.
Ye Wanning brandished her sword to meet the enemy. With a single swing, she severed the arm of a Tianyan Sect disciple, who fell to the ground screaming in agony. However, the enemy was simply too numerous, and the Imperial Guards were gradually becoming overwhelmed.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar—the garrison had arrived! Upon seeing the reinforcements, the Tianyan Sect and the Turks panicked and turned to run back.
"Don't let them escape!" Ye Wanning shouted. The Imperial Guards and garrison troops gave chase and surrounded the enemy in the valley. After half an hour of fighting, most of the enemy was annihilated, with only a few managing to escape in the chaos.
Looking at the corpses on the ground, Ye Wanning knew in her heart that the Tianyan Sect had already resorted to desperate measures, and after returning to the capital, there would definitely be an even bigger conspiracy waiting for the Great Qi.
After three more days of travel, they finally saw the walls of the capital. In the distance, they could see the Emperor standing outside the city with his civil and military officials, their yellow dragon flags particularly conspicuous. Ye Wanning and Pei Zhi quickly dismounted, hurried over, and bowed respectfully: "Your subject (your daughter) greets Your Majesty!"
"No need for formalities!" The Emperor personally helped them up, his face full of smiles. "You have worked hard! You have repelled the Turks and protected the border. You are heroes of the Great Qi!"
"This is all what we (your daughter) should do; we dare not take credit for it," the two said in unison.
The Emperor looked at Ye Wanning with admiration in his eyes: "Second Miss Ye, you are a girl, yet you are brave, resourceful, and loyal to the Great Qi. I was right about you. I have decided to bestow upon you the title of 'Protector of the Nation Lady,' and grant you a thousand taels of gold, a hundred acres of fertile land, and allow you to enter the palace to meet the Emperor at any time!"
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace!" Ye Wanning bowed again, but she was not very happy. The core confidants of the Tianyan Sect had not yet been identified, and this reward felt more like a heavy responsibility.
Pei Zhi was also appointed "General Who Guards the Nation" and received generous rewards. Civil and military officials came forward to congratulate him, some presenting congratulatory invitations, others flattering him, creating a lively scene.
But Ye Wanning's gaze swept from the crowd to the Prime Minister—who had a smile on his face, but little warmth in his eyes. He glanced at Ye Wanning, and that look chilled her to the bone.
Upon returning to the capital, Ye Wanning neither went to collect her reward nor returned to the Minister's residence. She went straight to Ci'an Hall. She missed her children terribly and wanted to know if they were eating and studying well, and if they had angered their teacher.
But as soon as Ye Wanning reached the entrance of Ci'an Hall, she sensed something was wrong—at this time of day, the children would usually be running around in the courtyard, but today it was quiet and there wasn't a sound.
Ye Wanning's heart tightened, and she pushed open the door and rushed into the courtyard—the courtyard was empty, and there was no one in the room either, with unfinished snacks on the table.
"Uncle Su! Where are the children?" Ye Wanning grabbed Su Zhong, who had just returned from outside, her voice trembling.
Su Zhong panicked, his face turning pale. "Before I left, I told the servants to keep an eye on the children. How could they have disappeared?" He rushed into the kitchen, grabbed the trembling servant, and demanded, "Tell me! Where did the children go? Why did they eat all of Master's snacks?"
The shop assistant, Da Ming, cried, "A few men in black came this morning, saying that the madam sent them to pick up the children. We refused, and they brandished their knives, saying they would kill the children if we didn't exchange them for the tiger tally and the map!"
Ye Wanning felt as if her heart was being squeezed by a hand, the pain making it hard to breathe—the people of Tianyan Sect were actually using her child's life to blackmail her!
"Did they say where to change it?" Ye Wanning pressed.
"They said we can only exchange it at the abandoned factory outside the city, tomorrow at noon, and that only Madam can go. If she brings anyone else, they'll kill the children!" Daming replied, crying.
"Quickly inform Pei Zhi and have the Shadow Pavilion and the secret guards come over!" Ye Wanning immediately made arrangements in the room. "I'll take a fake tiger tally and map to exchange for the children. Pei Zhi will lead his men to ambush around the factory. Once the children come out, we'll seize the Tianyan Sect members. Uncle Su, you're familiar with the Tianyan Sect's techniques, so go with Pei Zhi and help identify the enemies!"
"I understand, Miss." Su Zhong nodded, filled with remorse. "This time, I will definitely help you rescue the children and make up for my mistake!"
The next day at noon, Ye Wanning changed into civilian clothes, took a brocade box containing the fake tiger tally and a map, and went alone to the abandoned factory. The factory was gloomy, with abandoned machines everywhere, and the dust was so thick it reached above the ankles. The children were tied to the central pillar, their mouths stuffed with cloth. When they saw Ye Wanning, their eyes were full of tears, but they dared not cry out loud.
The elder of the Tianyan Sect held a knife, coldly pointing it at her and the children: "Where are the tiger tally and the map?"
"Release the children first." Ye Wanning tossed the brocade box over. "The children are fine, so you can keep whatever you want."
The elder took the brocade box, picked up the tiger tally and weighed it in his hand, then unfolded the map and looked at it. Suddenly, he sneered, "You think you can get away with a fake? This tiger tally is made of brass and is half an ounce lighter than the real one; and you drew two wrong locations for the armory. Do you really think I'm blind?"
Ye Wanning's heart sank—she hadn't expected the elder to be so shrewd. Just then, a chorus of shouts erupted outside the factory—Pei Zhi had led his men in!
"Let go of the child! Or don't blame us for being impolite!" Pei Zhi shouted.
The people of Tianyan Sect panicked. The elder roared in exasperation and raised his knife to stab Xiaodouzi beside him. Ye Wanning didn't care about anything else either. She reached into her sleeve and took out three silver needles, which shot towards the elder's wrist with a "whoosh".
The elder screamed in pain as his wrist, holding the knife, went numb and the knife clattered to the ground.
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