Chapter 37 Life and Death
Back at the main camp, Ji Nuli immediately sent men to escort Shen Xiang's family, including masters and servants—a total of thirteen people—to the location where the negotiations had taken place. Yu Qing also sent men to escort one hundred and sixteen Northern Rong prisoners and spies. Both sides counted the number of people and exchanged prisoners.
Upon entering Haozhou City, Princess Rouzhen immediately transformed into a cold and noble noblewoman of the imperial family, holding her head high and looking arrogant. The prefect of Haozhou, along with his civil officials, stepped forward to pay their respects and said respectfully, "This humble official, Chen Weizhi, greets Madam Shen and Princess Rouzhen. You two must be tired from your journey. I have already arranged for your residence to be prepared. Please come and stay at my humble abode."
Seeing that only he came to greet her, Princess Rouzhen said unhappily, "Where is Chief Steward Yu?"
"With the Northern Rong besieging the city and military affairs so busy, Commander Yu has been leading from the front and guarding the city walls. If the princess has any urgent business, I will go and invite him over."
Princess Rouzhen remained noncommittal, gave a cold snort, and bent down to get into the sedan chair. Upon arriving at the prefect's residence, after drinking tea and resting briefly, she said, "Lord Chen, please summon Miss Ruan Wu."
The prefect frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "Is Miss Ruan someone who comes whenever she is called, or someone who can be summoned by just anyone?" "Princess and Madam, please rest first. I will arrange for you to see whoever you wish to see later."
Princess Rouzhen's face changed drastically, and she slammed her hand on the table, saying, "What do you mean by that?"
Old Madam Shen called out in a drawn-out voice, "Rouzhen."
Princess Rouzhen turned her head away sullenly.
Madam Shen waved to the prefect and said, "Lord Chen, thank you for your hard work. You may go back to your work."
The prefect of Haozhou was greatly relieved and quickly bowed to take his leave. After he left, Madam Shen said with a stern face, "Rouzhen, things are different now. We are under someone else's roof, so we should keep a low profile."
“Mother. What do you mean by being under someone else’s roof? The Great Zhou Dynasty is still here, and I am still a daughter of the Great Zhou royal family. She is just a commoner’s daughter. Can’t I summon her? It’s clear that these people have changed their tune as soon as they see us in trouble. Not only do they not come to greet us, but they also make excuses to see us.”
Shen Hua said softly, "Mother, after all, it was she who helped us escape danger this time. We are indebted to her."
Princess Rouzhen's expression softened, and she said, "Hua'er, we haven't received any favors from her. She hates our whole family to death, so why would she sincerely want to save us? She's only helping us because she's afraid of being accused of abandoning us to our deaths. If I hadn't anticipated this, you'd probably still be in the hands of those barbarians. Besides, we're not out of danger yet. The Northern Rong army is strong and well-equipped. I'm afraid Haozhou City won't hold out for long. We'll have to send someone to escort us out, and only she can command these people."
The thought of possibly falling into the hands of the Northern Rong people again made everyone's faces change. Shen Hua, in particular, trembled all over.
Madam Shen pressed her throbbing temples, stood up, and said, "I'm tired."
The old nanny standing behind her quickly helped her into the inner room to lie down, and whispered, "Madam, that matter needs to be decided as soon as possible. In my opinion, even if it's not for the old master's wishes, it should be accepted for the sake of the young lady."
Old Madam Shen closed her eyes wearily, and after a while, sighed and said, "Then I'll trouble you to make the trip."
The old nanny nodded and left. She then instructed the Shen family servants to prepare a carriage and head straight to the Chief Steward's residence, presenting Old Madam Shen's visiting card and requesting an audience with the Chief Steward's wife. After the initial pleasantries, the old nanny said, "Madam Yu, there is an important matter today that I would like to ask you to act as a mediator."
Dongxue said, "Granny, please don't be so polite. Just tell me what's on your mind."
"Before my grandfather passed away, he kept instructing my grandmother to let Miss Ruan Wu be recognized by her ancestors. However, because of the unpleasant things that happened in the past, neither side wanted to back down. I heard that you are Miss Ruan Wu's sister, so my grandmother wanted to ask you to pass on a message to Miss Ruan Wu. My grandfather is still in his seventh day of mourning, so it would be a very good time to recognize her now."
Dongxue and Granny Zheng looked at each other and said after a moment, "Passing on a message is easy, but with so many past disputes, it's probably not going to be resolved in a short time."
The old nanny sighed and said, "As long as you get what you ask for, that's fine. I just hope that Madam will tell Fifth Miss that before the Old Master passed away, he kept mentioning this matter. Besides, having a proper family background would also be beneficial for Fifth Miss. Back then, when the Empress Dowager issued the decree to marry her, she only said it was Miss Shen..."
The last sentence was quite meaningful. Dongxue and Granny Zheng exchanged another glance but remained silent.
After Granny Shen left, Granny Zheng went to Apricot Blossom Lane and explained the whole story in detail, adding at the end, "Perhaps she really had a change of heart and felt she had wronged the young lady. They say that a dying person's words are kind..."
Ruan Bi snorted disdainfully. With Shen Mi's shrewdness, even if she didn't notice it at first, how could she not understand it afterward? She just knew she couldn't afford to offend the Empress Dowager, so she went along with the mistake. This pretentious act before her death was nothing more than seeking peace of mind. "Granny, tell her I don't know how to write the character 'Chen'."
The news quickly reached Madam Shen, who angrily said, "Enough, enough. It was meant well, but it gave her the opportunity to kick us while we're down."
Peaceful days last only one day.
On October 22nd, the Northern Rong Khan, Ji Nuli, personally led 60,000 troops of the Northern Route Army to attack Haozhou City again, deploying over 2,500 catapults, more than 3,000 crossbows, and 30 siege engines. The bombardment continued day and night without ceasing. Initially, Haozhou City retaliated with fire bombs, resulting in a stalemate and even casualties on both sides. On the third day, Haozhou City ran out of fire bombs and began using stone projectiles in response. However, compared to the Northern Rong's relentless and overwhelming attacks, Haozhou City's counterattack, with only 500 catapults, appeared weak. Fortunately, the densely packed firing ports on the city walls slowed the Northern Rong's advance. By the fifth day, the moat had been filled with stone projectiles. Haozhou City's defenders had suffered heavy casualties and were short-handed, forcing them to organize adult women within the city to handle engineering work and transport war materials. On the sixth day, the temperature plummeted, and light snow fell continuously. The stone projectiles had piled up to half the height of the city walls, blocking most of the densely packed firing ports. Under the cover of shield carts, the Northern Rong's siege force and siege engines crossed the moat...
Anyone with eyes can see that Haozhou City's fate is sealed, and there is no way to reverse it.
"Fifth Miss, I just checked. The Northern Rong army outside the South Gate is mainly infantry. There are quite a few of them, but they are not a threat. I have already spoken with Young Master Gu. He will lead a thousand cavalrymen to escort you out later." Yu Qing had not slept for several days. His eyes were dark and his face was covered with stubble.
"I'm leaving. What about you?" The city's military strength had been drastically reduced; after taking a thousand men with me, there were hardly any left.
Yu Qing replied without hesitation, "Naturally, we will live and die with Haozhou City."
Ruan Bi asked calmly, "Since you can live and die with Haozhou City, why can't I?"
Yu Qing looked at her with a mixture of surprise and emotion. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a guard outside say loudly, "Report! The west corner tower has collapsed, and a crack has appeared in the city wall."
“Miss. Yu Qing is incompetent and cannot defend Haozhou City. I hope you will leave quickly so that I will not fail the Prince’s trust.” After saying this, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Ruan Bi and hurriedly walked out of the command room to the west corner tower to check the cracks in the city wall.
Ruan Bi remained standing by the command room window. Looking outside, she saw a hail of arrows, the bodies of the defending soldiers lying either on the battlements or across the city walls—life so fragile, it stung her eyes. A moment later, she sensed someone entering. Turning around, she saw Princess Rouzhen and Shen Hua. "What are you doing here?"
"Quickly, send someone to take us away."
"There aren't even enough people to guard the city, so where would you find someone to send you away? Besides, where could you go? Didn't you see that the city is completely surrounded by the Ji Nuli?"
"Who are you trying to fool? I just heard what Yu Qing said. Why should you get a thousand people when we receive them, but we get none? My daughter is the Prince of Jin's fiancée!" Princess Rouzhen shouted hysterically.
Ruan Bi glanced at her with disgust, then turned back to look down at the city walls. In just a short while, the siege engines were already in formation. Given Haozhou City's deployment, they could probably hold out until nightfall. Ji Nuli's estimate of taking the city within seven days was indeed correct.
Thinking of the hopelessness of escape, the tragic fate of falling back into the hands of the Northern Rong people, and Lu Wang's old face covered with scars, Princess Rouzhen was filled with fear and hatred. She gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, you're not afraid of death, I'll send you to your death first." With that, she rushed forward and pushed him hard.
Caught off guard, Ruan Bi was pushed face-first, her body leaning backward, and she tumbled headfirst out of the window. She rolled up the eaves of the city tower, but luckily her clothes were caught on the eaves, and she swung back and forth in mid-air. The city tower was high, and the vanguard troops attacking the city nearby could not see it, but the generals Dunluhe, Ji Nuli, and others in the command vehicle following closely behind could see it clearly. Dunluhe quickly drew his arrow, nocked it, and aimed. By the time Ji Nuli tried to stop him, the arrow had already left the bowstring.
Ji Nuli flew into a rage, glaring at him and asking, "General Dunlu, didn't I tell you to capture Ruan Wu alive?"
Dunluhe said, "Your Majesty, the spies have all said that the idea of burying the thunderbolt in the ground was this woman's. When Yu Qing was not in Haozhou, it was also this woman who commanded the city's defenses. It is clear that this woman holds an extraordinary position in the hearts of the soldiers in Haozhou. As the saying goes, to catch the thief, first catch the king. If this woman dies, the morale of Haozhou will surely collapse. We can take this city without expending any more effort. Why not? In Your Majesty's heart, is the life of this foreign woman more important than the lives of our hundreds or thousands of soldiers?"
Ji Nuli was so angry that her lips trembled, and she said, "What are you saying!"
Dunluhe looked directly at him and said, "Khan, we Mona tribe obey the true eagle."
The implication is that you are not a true eagle.
"Fine, fine, fine." Ji Nuli laughed angrily. "Dunluhe, I hope one day you won't regret saying that." After saying that, she didn't look at him again and turned to look at Haozhou City.
Dunluhe's arrow was powerful and unstoppable, and it looked like it was about to hit Ruan Bi, but then another arrow flew out from the side, knocking it away. Then a person jumped out of the window and landed next to Ruan Bi in a few quick movements.
"Gu Xiaobai!" Meda exclaimed in surprise, "He's in Haozhou City too?"
Upon hearing that it was Gu Xiaobai, Dunluhe's eyes immediately reddened, and he drew his bow again, firing several more arrows in quick succession.
Standing on the rooftop was precarious, making them easy targets for arrows. Gu Xiaobai knew he couldn't linger. He tore off the hem of Ruan Bi's skirt that was wrapped around the roof, grabbed her, and jumped down. But it was too late. He dodged Dunluhe's first and second arrows, but not the third. The arrow pierced Ruan Bi's shoulder and struck Gu Xiaobai in the chest, and the two of them fell onto the city wall together…
Princess Rouzhen had regained some composure by now and realized she had caused trouble. She grabbed Shen Hua and rushed out of the command room. Shen Hua was worried about Gu Xiaobai and kept looking back.
Princess Rouzhen grabbed her hand and said, "Don't be silly. This boy only has eyes for that little brat. He'd risk his life for her. This city can't be defended. Let's quickly find some clothes to change into, and then we'll blend in with the refugees and charge when the city falls..." Before she could finish speaking, her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked down at her chest. An arrow pierced her chest, and blood dripped from it. She cried out "Ah!" and slowly collapsed.
Shen Hua was horrified and hugged her tightly, desperately crying out, "Mother, Mother... Someone, please help my mother..."
But at this moment, who cares about whom?
Her voice grew hoarse from screaming, but no one came to even glance at her, while Princess Rouzhen's body began to grow colder. She could only hold her tightly, burying her face in her neck, tears streaming down her face. The snow fell heavier and heavier, covering her completely, blurring her vision with white, and her heart gradually froze.
I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly thunderous cheers erupted.
She was startled awake and looked around blankly, only to find the soldiers throwing down their weapons and embracing each other, laughing and crying. A banner woven with a blue dragon and embroidered with a large "Jin" character had somehow appeared atop the city wall, fluttering in the wind.
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