When Bai Zhiyi was in the capital, she was always escorted by guards from the Duke's mansion. Whenever she encountered trouble, the guards would help her solve the problem.
The guards were personally chosen by her father to protect his daughter from harassment by lecherous men. With loyal guards protecting her, Bai Zhiyi only needed to maintain a cool and reserved demeanor, using her beauty to leave every noble young man who admired her speechless, yet none of them could cross the line.
The man in front of her was clearly up to no good, but she was now all alone.
When did I start to become like this?
It was Wei Jingzhuo. He had taken over her entire being, to the point that she no longer cared about her own safety.
She could endure falling and getting humiliated in front of everyone, endure the embarrassment and helplessness of being teased, endure hunger, cold and bumpy rides... all for Wei Jingzhuo.
She would do anything for him.
She looked down at the outstretched hand, without backing away.
Normally, such a vulgar and uncultured man wouldn't even deserve to look at her. But now, to get past this hurdle, she was willing to lower herself, address him as "Big Brother," and give him all her money. Having done all that, she had to grit her teeth and endure being taken advantage of.
The ugly man was somewhat guilty for touching the woman in broad daylight. He paused halfway through his reach, and seeing that Bai Zhiyi didn't resist and her expression didn't change, he assumed she had agreed. His face lit up with joy, and he opened his fingers to grab Bai Zhiyi's wrist.
"Stop!" A shout rang out from not far away.
The ugly man shuddered, quickly withdrew his hand, and looked back.
A man arrived on horseback in the distance with several attendants. He dismounted, crossed the roadblock, and came to the group. He said to the ugly man, "I saw you guys surrounding this young lady from afar. What do you want to do?"
The ugly man quickly put his hands behind his back and laughed, "Commander Xiao, look at what you're saying. I was just advising this young lady that the road here is closed and we can't pass."
Upon hearing this, Commander Xiao turned to look at Bai Zhiyi, exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this Miss Bai?"
Bai Zhiyi looked up at the newcomer, somewhat surprised, and said, "Is it Commander Xiao?"
The man before her was surnamed Xiao, and he was the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards in the capital. He usually patrolled the imperial city, responsible for its security. Bai Zhiyi would occasionally run into him when she entered the palace. Although they didn't have much contact, they recognized each other.
Commander Xiao waved to the soldiers from the Lin residence and said, "You can all go back."
The ugly man was displeased to see his good fortune with a woman slip away. However, the Commander Xiao in front of him was the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, not someone a nobody like him could afford to offend. He quickly nodded and bowed and led his men back.
Commander Xiao asked, "Miss Bai, why are you here?"
Bai Zhiyi was initially relieved to see Commander Xiao appear and rescue her, but then she remembered that the secret decree mentioned the emperor had secretly dispatched two thousand imperial guards to help the Lin family carry out their conspiracy. Could this Commander Xiao be the one who commanded this imperial guard?
She reached out and tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ear, saying to Commander Xiao, "The matriarch of the Lin family is my mother's younger sister. Commander Xiao, why are you here in this desolate wilderness instead of serving His Majesty in the palace?"
Commander Xiao rubbed his hands and said, "I...I am here on His Majesty's orders."
Bai Zhiyi knew perfectly well what was going on, but didn't say anything. She said to Commander Xiao, "My aunt told me this morning that when the Third Young Master got up, she wanted me to take him to Ganxi Valley. So I brought the young master here, but I didn't expect that someone would block the road."
Commander Xiao had no idea that Bai Zhiyi was lying to him, and said, "The Third Young Master is in the car."
Bai Zhiyi turned around and called to her maid, "Xiao Ju, let Commander Xiao take a look at the Third Young Master."
The maid opened the carriage door. Lin Fei was frightened by the ugly man and refused to get out. She cried and made a scene inside the carriage.
Commander Xiao confirmed it was Lin Fei and said somewhat awkwardly, "Miss Bai, why would Madam Zheng let you take the Third Young Master there? That's not a place for children."
Bai Zhiyi said feignedly, "My aunt told me that it wasn't safe for the Third Young Master to stay in the manor, and asked me to bring him here so she could feel at ease seeing him. I don't understand why my aunt said that, but I just did as she said."
Commander Xiao didn't want to delve into the matter further and said, "Since it's Madam Zheng's request, I'll move the roadblocks and escort Miss Bai there with men."
Bai Zhiyi smiled and said, "That would be too much trouble for Commander Xiao."
Commander Xiao waved his hand and said in a low voice, "Miss Bai, there's no need to be so polite. These private soldiers from the Lin family are all rough men... Miss Bai may encounter them on the road, so it would be better if I escorted them there."
Bai Zhiyi exchanged a few more polite words and got into the car. Commander Xiao ordered the soldiers to remove the roadblocks and escort Bai Zhiyi to Ganxi Valley.
After walking three miles, we could already see Ganxi Valley in the distance.
Bai Zhiyi was anxious and kept urging the coachman to speed up. Commander Xiao and his entourage escorted the carriage, the horses' hooves pounding the snow, sending snowflakes flying everywhere.
After the group passed by, behind the snow-covered boulders by the roadside, Lin Qingfeng looked up and watched the carriage head north. He then turned around and came to a ditch, saying, "General, they've passed. Let me help you up."
With the help of Lin Qingfeng, General Zhao Xian stood up shakily and looked in the direction of Ganxi Valley.
"I was really careless. I've been hunting geese all my life, and this is what happened... No wonder the Lin family was able to set up such a clever ambush; it turns out they had the help of the Imperial Guards."
He and Wei Jingzhuo rode in a Shence chariot, escorted by five hundred soldiers, towards the Northwest Camp. Halfway there, Lin Qingfeng came to report that two thousand soldiers from the Linyuan Village stronghold, led by Xie Maoliang, had gone to Suiyang overnight.
Wei Jingzhuo was concerned about Su Wan's safety, but he also couldn't let go of the Lin family's matter. In the end, he decided to personally lead two hundred cavalrymen to Suiyang first, while the remaining three hundred soldiers would escort him to the Northwest Camp.
No matter how much trouble the Lin family causes, they are nothing more than a bunch of scattered soldiers; they could never stand up to the Northwest Army. Su Wan, however, absolutely cannot be allowed to get into trouble.
Before leaving, Wei Jingzhuo specifically asked Lin Qingfeng to stay behind to protect him, just in case.
It was Lin Qingfeng who saved his life.
Lin Qingfeng supported his arm and said, "General, you said the Lin family has the help of the Imperial Guard?"
Zhao Xian said, "I recognize that man who just passed by. He's the commander of the Imperial Guards in the palace. Back when I was conquering the world with Emperor Kangping, he was just a squad leader. If I'm not mistaken, he planned this ambush. That kid Emperor Kangping is serious about us now. What a pity for my three hundred men."
No matter how powerful Lin Qingfeng is, he can only take one person with him. The other three hundred soldiers are probably all doomed.
Lin Qingfeng advised, "General, don't be sad. We are lucky to have escaped from the ambush. Let's leave here now and wait for our lord to return from Suiyang before we send troops to wipe them out."
Zhao Xian said, "Alright, help me up, we'll take a detour to the Northwest Camp."
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