Chapter 1132 Afraid of death
Outside the tent, a cold wind howled.
The soldiers who had escaped from Huiluocang were still sleep-deprived, so they gathered around the campfire outside the tent and chatted idly. The youngest of them looked around and asked, "Boss Xu, where is Guan Chiying?"
The middle-aged soldier, known as Boss Xu, poked the fire with a wooden stick: "He went to talk to the people here and see when we can go back to Luoyang."
The young man immediately said, "Luoyang is completely surrounded, how are we supposed to get back?"
Xu Laoda and the other soldiers immediately looked at him: "But our wives, children and elderly parents are all in the city. If we don't go back, how will they survive?"
The young man shut his mouth in resentment.
Liang Shide had his reasons for sending Chen Cai to lead this group of men out of the city to retrieve grain from the Huiluo granary. If he had just randomly chosen some people, given the current situation in Luoyang, they would probably have run away as soon as they left the city. Therefore, this group of men had been carefully vetted and selected. Even Chen Cai himself was from Luoyang and had wives and children in the city. With their families in his hands, he was not afraid that these men would never return.
The young man was silent for a while, then said indignantly, "That Guan Chiying, he's such a spineless coward, how could they have chosen him?"
Old Xu frowned: "You'd better keep quiet. If it weren't for his mediation, we don't know what would have happened to us if things had really escalated. This is their territory!"
The young man muttered, "I just can't stand him, he's such a wimp!"
Seeing his contemptuous expression, Boss Xu frowned but didn't say anything. Instead, another soldier sitting next to him nudged him with his shoulder and asked softly, "Brother Xu, I seem to have heard that Guan Chiying's family used to be officials, high-ranking officials."
Mentioning this, everyone showed curious expressions, staring wide-eyed at Boss Xu.
Old Xu paused for a moment before sighing and saying, "That's right, his family were high-ranking officials. During the reign of Emperor Yang, they were high-ranking officials in the court."
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock.
Someone asked, "Why is such a high-ranking official with us now?"
Old Xu said, "It's just bad luck. When Emperor Yang went to Jiangdu Palace for a tour, who knew it would end there—sigh. But I heard that the Emperor's people kept advising against it before he set off. Later, Emperor Yang was furious and left them in Luoyang, forbidding any of them from accompanying him. As soon as Emperor Yang left, you know, the Eastern Capital changed hands."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Of course they knew, and some of them were even the ones who had followed Liang Shide in attacking Luoyang.
Someone then asked, "What about his family?"
Old Xu lowered his voice and said, "I heard that their officials, along with some other officials who remained in Luoyang, were arrested. They are all tough, and many of them refuse to surrender. Lord Liang is going to kill them all. Just then, Guan Chiying stepped forward and said that he was willing to surrender to Lord Liang."
Upon hearing this, the young man immediately showed a disdainful expression.
He said, "I'm afraid of dying."
Old Xu glanced at him but didn't say anything. The others asked, "Then, sir, will you spare him?"
"yes."
Old Xu nodded, then sighed and said, "However, his family all think he is a coward and are ashamed of him. Although he survived, they refuse to talk to him. Now he is alone in the army and can never go home."
Everyone sighed.
Just as these people were sighing, on another road, Shang Ruyi finally lifted her foot once more, but turned around and walked back. The soldier behind her immediately asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "It's a bit chilly, I'd better go back."
The soldier couldn't help but frown, thinking that this princess was really troublesome. She had just told him that she wanted to go for a walk to digest her food after dinner, so he had no choice but to follow her. But after walking a few steps, she felt cold and wanted to go back. Are all women this troublesome?
However, since she was a princess, and General Xiao had personally instructed him to protect and serve her well, he couldn't say much and had no choice but to go back with Shang Ruyi.
When Shang Ruyi returned to her tent and sat down, she felt her mind was in complete disarray.
But within that tangled mess, there seemed to be a thread faintly visible before her eyes, as if she could discover some secrets simply by reaching out and touching it.
Lost in thought and feeling somewhat dazed, Shang Ruyi couldn't fall asleep until very late. When she finally tried to go to bed, she realized her hands and feet were ice-cold, and she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. So she sent someone to tell the servants that she wanted a bucket of hot water.
The cooks, who had already gone to rest, had no choice but to get up again to start the fire upon hearing this. They filled a bucket with hot water and carried it over to her, muttering discontentedly as they went: "This woman is such a troublemaker. She won't eat this or that, she wants this and that. She really thinks this place is her own home. And the general, she's not even his wife. She's getting all this good food and drink but can't even touch a thing. I don't know what he's thinking."
Just as he was muttering to himself, a person suddenly appeared in front of him.
The soldier was startled, nearly spilling the water from the bucket, and immediately stopped, asking, "What are you doing?"
The soldier smiled at him and said, "I'm here to fetch water for the princess."
Hearing this, and seeing that the soldier was dressed in the clothes of an ordinary soldier, the cook assumed that he must have been sent by the general to take care of the princess. So the cook handed over the bucket and said, "Alright, here you go. Take it quickly, or you'll blame me if the water gets cold. I'm going to sleep."
The soldier laughed and said, "Don't worry, it's not my fault."
The squad leader snorted and turned to leave.
The soldier who took the bucket watched him walk away before carefully carrying it toward Shang Ruyi's tent. Although he encountered patrols and some sleepless people chatting around the campfire along the way, they all assumed he was one of their own and did not check him. Thus, he walked unimpeded to Shang Ruyi's tent.
He took a deep breath, lifted the curtain, and went inside.
Shang Ruyi was sitting on the bed, still thinking about what she had heard during the day, when she was startled to see someone come in. Although she was a prisoner, Xiao Yuansui had always treated her with courtesy, and no soldier dared to enter her tent without announcing their arrival. So she was about to shout at them.
But just as she was about to speak, upon seeing the soldier's face, all her words immediately caught in her throat.
The man looked at her cautiously, as if he himself was standing on the edge of a dangerous line. After hesitating for a long time, he whispered in a low, husky voice, "Princess Consort of Qin?"
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