20. Capture of Peng County
◎Aunt Qi, you've found out!◎
"Sima Langjun, you promised to ensure Qi Gu's safety, but now, Qi Gu's whereabouts are unknown. You have broken your promise!"
Li Shi was a little unsteady on his feet. Because of his anxiety, his blood rushed to his head, and his face turned red.
"You can't even guarantee Qi Gu's safety before we've entered the capital. What you said to me in Li Family Village was a joke. In that case, our agreement to return to the capital is null and void!"
Li Shi's face was cold. Qi Gu was his only attachment in this world, and also his only family member.
When Sima Hong found him and told him what he had found out about Qi Gu's background, and that Qi Gu's mother had secretly asked him to escort Qi Gu back to the capital, he decided to go back to the capital with Qi Gu.
He thought that since the Empress could entrust Sima Hong to secretly find Qi Gu, it meant that she did not care about Qi Gu as he had previously guessed.
Since Qi Gu still has relatives in this world, he wants to send her back to her relatives.
As for him, he would be wherever Qi Gu was. Sima Hong needed him to cultivate millet seeds to solve the famine in the Great Jin Dynasty, and he needed Sima Hong to ensure Qi Gu's safety. Of course, he knew what he would face if he returned to the capital, but as Sima Hong said, Li Qiao's impersonation of the princess would be easily exposed, and then Qi Gu would become the target of public criticism.
Ma Hong proposed that he return to the capital with him to promote the millet and wheat seeds he planted, on the condition that he would protect Qi Gu and become her protector. He agreed.
Before they even reached the capital, Qi Gu was kidnapped!
He began to question his decision to return to the capital. Perhaps Qi Gu was right; there were many advantages to returning to the capital, but life there would never be as peaceful as it was in Li Family Village.
“Mr. Li, it’s all my fault. I fell for their feint last night, which allowed them to kidnap Miss Qi. Please punish me, sir and Mr. Li.”
Atai knelt on one knee in front of Sima Hong and Li Shi. Sima Hong still had an expressionless face, but the aura he exuded was terrifying.
Sima Hong thought that he had not received any news from A Feng, which meant that everything was still under control. However, just as Li Shi said, he had indeed broken his promise.
“Mr. Li, it was my fault, but don’t worry, Aunt Qi is safe now and will be back safely soon.”
Li Shi asked anxiously, "Do you know where Qi Gu is? How long will it take for her to come back?"
"Qi Gu will definitely return within three days."
Sima Hong thought of the woman who was cold to him, who always watched him from the shadows, and who would try to scratch him with her claws, but would withdraw them as soon as he looked at her. She only dared to secretly bare her teeth at him. He had been careless.
Sima Hong left with A Xiang. Before leaving, he said to A Tai, "Protect Mr. Li well, A Tai. I hope this is the last time."
Atai lowered his head. "Yes."
Li Shi limped toward the door, watching Sima Hong and A Xiang ride away on horseback, thinking, "Qi Gu, please don't let anything happen to you."
Qi Gu leaned against a big tree. She thought that these people would leave quickly in order to escape the pursuit, but she did not expect that they would be so bold as to prepare to return to Peng County.
Or rather, they didn't want to return to Peng County, but to seize it.
Qi Gu listened intently, and when she heard the white-bearded old man say that he wanted to attack Peng County, she thought these people were crazy.
Even if they wanted to rebel, with only a dozen or twenty people like them, it was too far-fetched.
"Qi Gu, you also find it ridiculous, don't you? To overthrow a dynasty with just these people?"
As evening approached, Chen Zhan sat down next to Qi Gu, as if the matter was nothing more than a trivial matter to him, and he even had the leisure to chat with her.
As Qi Gu watched him not only stop Qi Le's crazy actions but also encourage them, she looked at Chi Zhan, trying to figure out what he was up to. In the end, she realized that she couldn't see through him at all because she didn't know him at all.
She only knew "Sister Cheng," who was very skilled at blacksmithing. Because she was tall, she was often pointed at and gossiped about by people who said who would dare to marry such a woman in the future.
Sister Cheng kicked those gossiping people out of her blacksmith shop one by one, then without saying anything more, bent over and began to focus on forging those iron lumps.
Those shapeless lumps of iron gradually took on the shapes of kitchen knives, hoes, and scissors under her hands.
Sister Cheng is very skilled. The little hoe she gave me is unusually delicate. She said she made it casually in her spare time, but the little hoe is smooth, flat and small, which requires a lot of time and effort.
The "Sister Cheng" who only knew how to forge iron, the "Sister Cheng" who treated her to noodles, the "Sister Cheng" who lost her parents—none of them are the same as the one in front of me now, Zhan A-xiong who hides many secrets in his eyes and carries many deep-seated hatreds on his back.
"Aunt Qi, where do you like?" Chen Zhan asked, leaning against the old tree trunk next to Aunt Qi.
"Huh?" Qi Gu looked at Chen Zhan in confusion.
Chen Zhan smiled and looked at Qi Gu. His eyes were long and narrow, his face was like a woman's, somewhat thin, and his lips were angular and light pink. Qi Gu stared at this face. No wonder he had dressed as a woman before, but had the height of a man, and no one suspected that he was a man.
Then she recalled the rumors she had heard in the palace in her previous life. It was said that Zhao Ji was an extremely beautiful woman. The King of Yan saw her by chance on the street, fell in love with her at first sight, and abducted her right there in the street.
If the person before you is truly the child of King Yan and Zhao Ji, then his appearance must have come from his stunningly beautiful mother.
Seeing Qi Gu staring blankly at her, Chen Zhan leaned casually against the tree trunk, his hands behind his head, and said, "I mean, after we get married, where would you like to live?"
"I haven't thought about it. Besides, Brother Zhan, you haven't brought my father here yet. I still need to ask my father about our marriage." Qi Gu thought that as long as she could stall until Sima Hong's men came to rescue her, her marriage to Chen Zhan would naturally not be possible.
"I originally thought it would be a while before I could bring your father here," Chen Zhan said, glancing at Qi Le. "But with them, I think we can bring your father here soon."
Qi Gu hugged her knees, asking warily, "What do you want to do?"
Chen Zhan leaned closer to Qi Gu, and gently placed his long, straight index finger in front of her lips. "Shh, Qi Gu, it's not you, it's us, and it's not what we're going to do, it's what they're going to do."
Chen Zhan's words went around in circles. She looked at his smile, and for some reason, Qi Gu felt that although Chen Zhan was smiling, the smile didn't reach his eyes. His dark eyes were flashing with a sickly yet excited light.
If she were to reject him right now and tell him that she would never marry him, he would kill her immediately. Qi Gu felt a chill run down her spine.
Seeing her nervousness, Chen Zhan said softly, "Aunt Qi, don't be afraid." The more he said this, the more uneasy Aunt Qi felt.
"I won't hurt you, as long as you don't think about leaving me, okay?" Chen Zhan's face was almost close to Qi Gu's ear. She stiffened and moved her body away from the person next to her by half a foot.
Chen Zhan looked at him as gentle and polite, but actually gave people a twisted feeling.
Chen Zhan patted her head. "Be good. Once those troublesome people are gone, I'll take you away, and we'll never get involved in this trouble again."
Leaving? Before Qi Gu could ask Chen Zhan what he meant, he walked towards those who supported him and said something.
Then the white-bearded old man excitedly exclaimed, "Excellent! Now that we have captured Peng County, we can use it as our base. The other subjects of Great Yan will naturally respond to our call! After all these years, we have finally lived up to the expectations of His Majesty in heaven!"
Qi Gu was increasingly confused about what Chen Zhan was trying to do.
Even someone as clueless as her knew that, not to mention the heavily guarded Peng County, Sima Hong was currently in Peng County. How could these rabble possibly stand up to an entire county's soldiers, especially one with Sima Hong in charge?
Who is Sima Hong? He is a high-ranking official who travels on behalf of the emperor. He is secretly protected by countless guards. Moreover, he is the future head of the Sima family. How many followers does he have? Do these people even understand the situation?
Chen Zhan clearly knew all this, yet he still let these people go to their deaths. At this moment, Qi Gu began to suspect that Chen Zhan was doing it on purpose. Otherwise, why didn't he stop such a foolish decision? Everything was too abnormal.
Could it be that they have people in Peng County? Qi Gu only knows Prefect Tang, but given how cautious Prefect Tang is towards Sima Hong, if he were an inside man for these people, he should know that with Sima Hong around, taking Peng County would be suicide!
Before leaving, Qi Le looked at Qi Gu sitting under the old tree. Qi Gu was looking at them, and unexpectedly, their eyes met.
His gaze towards her was not kind; it even carried a clear dislike.
Noticing that Qi Le was looking at her, Chen Zhan stood calmly in front of Qi Le, blocking his gaze from Qi Gu.
Qi Le cupped his hands and said, "Young lord, please learn from the mistakes of the King back then, and don't let a woman ruin our great cause."
Chen Zhan's gaze was calm, and his face still held a faint smile. "Lord Qi, don't worry."
Qi Le glanced at Chen Zhan, who respected him greatly, and thought, "Never mind, I'll deal with these little things after this is done."
He said, "Young lord, please wait here for our good news." Qi Le's hair was white and his skin was wrinkled, but his eyes revealed a fervor that was beyond his years.
No one was more loyal to the Great Yan than him. After the Great King's defeat and suicide, he lay low for nearly three years, finally receiving news of the young lord.
This time, with the capture of Peng County and the ambition to conquer the Central Plains, his ascension to the position of being above the emperor and second only to ten thousand others will be just around the corner. What Zheng Hui could not achieve, Qi Le can.
Back then, Zheng Hui stood in his way, but now that Zheng Hui is dead, no one can stop him anymore!
Qi Le laughed loudly: "Hahaha! Let's go! This time, we will take back everything that belongs to Great Yan!" At this moment, Qi Le was no longer a subject of a fallen country; he seemed to have returned to his youthful and spirited self.
The wind billowed his sleeves as he strode confidently toward Peng County. Behind him followed the dozen or so men who had come with him, all of them inspired by his presence, their eyes burning with determination.
Silence returned to the surroundings, leaving only Qi Gu, Chen Zhan, and Song Shi, master and servant.
After those people left, Chen Zhan stood quietly by the river, his back to Qi Gu, saying nothing, just staring in the direction they had gone, no one knew what he was thinking.
Another day passed, and Qi Gu smiled bitterly. Fortunately, it hadn't rained for the past two days, which allowed them to rest in the open wilderness. Otherwise, they would have been exposed to the wind and rain.
Qi Gu was not worried about Peng County. She believed that it was impossible for those people to take Peng County. In her previous life, she had never heard of Peng County being conquered by the descendants of the Great Yan.
His only worry now is Chen Zhan, who seems calm and indifferent.
A carrier pigeon landed on Song Shi's shoulder, and she took out a small roll of cloth from under the pigeon's feet.
After reading the contents, she walked towards Chen Zhan by the river. "Master, Qi Le and the others have been captured in one fell swoop."
When Song Shi received the carrier pigeon, Qi Gu quietly moved closer to Chen Zhan's back. She heard everything Song Shi said.
Shocked, she took two steps back, the stones beneath her feet scraping together. Chen Zhan turned around, unconcerned about her eavesdropping, and instead smiled, "Aunt Qi, I think we should get going."
"Aren't you worried about those people?" Qi Gu's mind was in turmoil. Those people went to seize Peng County for him, but when he learned that they had been wiped out, he didn't seem anxious at all, and even seemed to be secretly excited.
"Why should I worry? They dedicate themselves to their beliefs, and that's what they want to do."
"You, you knew from the beginning, you just watched them go to their deaths."
Chen Zhan chuckled twice, his eyes slightly narrowed, "Oh dear, Aunt Qi, you've caught me."
[Author's Note]
Chen Zhan is a paranoid and yandere character.
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