Yellowbird
Yifei shuttled through the forest, occasionally pulling aside the bushes beside him to look inside, and looking left and right. He had already climbed over a mountain, searching from dusk to night, but why hadn't he found the bouquet of flowers yet... It didn't matter, he heard that it would glow silver under the moonlight, and it would be easier to find at night.
He waded through the thorns and moved forward with difficulty. His shoes and skirts were already riddled with scratches, and blood was oozing from the cuts on his calves, but he continued to search intently as if he didn't notice.
He had not wanted to travel to the distant Nansai, and had to stay here for so long. What would Yaoxian do if she was alone in the mansion? Would the princess and other concubines make her angry? Would the servants change their attitude and not serve her well? Ever since the day when the people sent by King Ping escorted him here on horseback, he had been worried about this and had been unable to sleep or eat.
On the first day he arrived in Nansai, he saw a flower in Setu's room that resembled a pair of mandarin ducks embracing. He was very surprised and thought that the fairy Yao would like it, so he asked Setu what kind of flower it was. Setu smiled and said, "It's a flower species unique to Nansai, the mandarin duck flower, and it's extremely rare."
He asked anxiously, "Where can I pick it?"
Setu smiled. "I didn't expect the prince to have such a refined taste; he's actually a flower lover. This flower grows in the forest and blooms only once every ten years. In the eyes of us Nansai people, it's a lucky gift sent down from the mountain gods to the human world, symbolizing happiness, longevity, and peace. It's also a sign of a couple's unwavering loyalty and longevity.
Yi Fei was overjoyed when he heard this and immediately asked for a method to find the flower. However, he had been busy with official business for the past few days and had no time to spare. Today he finally had some free time and without telling anyone, he sneaked out by himself. He was determined to find the flower and bring it back to Yao Xian. Only Yao Xian was worthy of the mandarin duck flower that blooms once every ten years.
He was sweating profusely as he searched in the forests in the mountains. The already humid air in Nansai made him even more anxious. Could it be that the flower was really a divine flower that could only be obtained by those who were destined to see it?
I suddenly felt depressed and forgot that there were thorns under my feet. My foot was caught and I fell backwards.
There are probably more snakes and insects in Nansai than people living here. As expected, a thin bamboo-leaf-colored snake crawled over to him, smelling the blood on his leg, spitting out its tongue and hiding in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to spy. Yifei suddenly fell to the ground, and his palm was scratched by the thorns on the thorns. He screamed in pain, feeling depressed. He picked up a stone on the ground and threw it out, but the stone hit the snake's head right on the spot.
The thin snake fell to the ground with its head tilted, and after spitting out its tongue a few times in a daze, it came to its senses. It glared at Yi Fei with red eyes, rushed up, and bit his leg.
Yifei jumped up and struggled on the spot. He was shocked and scared, jumping and screaming, and was finally discovered by the masked man who came to look for him.
Five masked men ran towards them, their black cloaks fluttering in the wind. "Young Prince! We finally found you!"
When Yifei saw the man in black coming, he became a little restrained in front of his followers. He put away his aggressive attitude and squatted on the ground, covering the wound on his leg and groaning in pain. However, the thin snake had been thrown away by his wave of his arm just now.
One of the masked men saw this, stepped forward and pulled away his hands that were covering his legs. Seeing that the wound had begun to turn black, he exclaimed, "The young prince has been poisoned by a snake!" The expressions of the other four men changed. Before they could react, the man in black had already laid on Yifei's legs and tried to suck out the venom. Yifei was at a loss and could only watch blankly as the man in black sucked out a mouthful of black liquid from his leg and spit it out, repeating this cycle over and over again until the spitted out liquid turned blood red. The man in black was exhausted and sat on the ground. He glanced at the other masked man, who took out a wooden medicine bottle from his arms, sprinkled the Chinese medicine powder on Yifei's legs, then tore off a piece of cloth from his own clothes, wrapped it around Yifei's wound, and the man in black who sucked out the poison for Yifei saw that he was no longer in danger, so he took out a black pill and swallowed it.
The first masked man said, "Young Prince, why didn't you tell your subordinates when you came out? This area is dangerous and full of poisons. Your Highness once instructed that if anything happens to Your Highness, we must all return with our heads to report to Your Highness." After saying that, the five of them knelt on the ground in unison, still feeling terrified.
Yi Fei was feeling annoyed, and after hearing these words, he felt even more guilty. He squeaked, "It was my fault for not thinking things through... Fortunately, there's nothing wrong. You all can get up."
After a second thought, he asked, "During the time you've been in Nansai, have you ever seen a flower that glows at night?"
The five masked men looked at each other and shook their heads.
Yi Fei seemed to be deflated, with his head hung in disappointment. He must have failed to find flowers today. He could only stand up helplessly and wanted to go back to the tent. Although the snake venom had been cleared, his leg injury had not healed. When he stood up, he was staggering and almost fell. The masked man who took the lead in speaking came over to support him, and only then did he feel more stable and walked back slowly.
After they had walked a few steps, they suddenly smelled a breeze blowing on their faces, and bursts of strong fragrance filled their noses. Yifei could not help but stop and look around, trying to find the source of the strange fragrance, but he saw a flower bud in the thorn bushes not far away, about to bloom. Everyone looked in the direction Yifei was looking, and in an instant, they saw the petals open, and a pair of entwined flowers slowly grew, just like two mandarin ducks embracing each other, crying and complaining, and lingering. When the petals opened, there was a dim light, and it was magnificent. Isn't it the flower that Yifei has been looking for!
Yifei broke free from the masked man's hand and limped towards the flower. He leaned over and looked at it with joy, like a child who had found a treasure. He danced with joy and looked at the mandarin duck flower from all directions, near and far, "Beautiful! Wonderful!" He carefully took the flower out of the thorns with the soil and roots. Seeing that the flower was still glowing and was not damaged, he put it into the prepared handkerchief with confidence, wrapped it carefully, and walked out of the thorns holding it in his hands.
Seeing that the young prince had finally found what he had been longing for, the five masked men were relieved to return to the camp with them. They sighed again, "Young prince, please return early. In a few days, ten more brothers will come to meet us under your orders. How we respond will depend on how well they complete their mission."
Yifei nodded, hugged the flowers, and happily followed the masked man back to the camp.
There was a sudden commotion on the towering trees in the dense forest. Two black shadows wrapped in the cool breeze fell from the sky. The two men in black landed lightly on the ground without touching the thorns on the ground. Unlike the masked men in black just now, their black clothes were tightly bound around their waists, and they were not masked.
One of the men in black laughed and said, "It seems that this young prince is quite obsessed with the gift from His Majesty."
Another man in black nodded and said, "The general made this move silently, but his wisdom was far-reaching."
"Yuanyang has made an invaluable contribution this time, and will be handsomely rewarded after the mission is accomplished."
After saying that, the two of them flew back up the tree, passed through layers of branches and leaves, leaped away, and disappeared into the night.
Shangguan Yichen looked at the two men in black flying away and flashed out from behind the hidden tree trunk. He looked in the direction where Yifei was leaving, then looked up at the direction where the men in black were leaving. He took in everything that had just happened and raised the corners of his lips slightly.
"Yifei's appearance in Nansai is unusual in itself, and the masked men's skills reveal that they are the palace guards. Prince Ping secretly mobilized the guards to Nansai, but they did not appear in our camp. Why not to assist us in the battle? From their conversation, they came in batches and received different orders. It is obvious that they had planned this in advance. Therefore, I know that Prince Ping is hiding something. From the conversation between the two black-clad men behind, I know that His Majesty is also aware of this matter. It seems that the situation in Nansai is not what it seems. After careful consideration, I have not acted rashly and have been observing and investigating secretly."
He frowned again and said, "But I never expected that the mission of the ten people described by the masked man was to assassinate you."
Zhong Yujing hurriedly comforted him, "Yi Shi and I are safe and sound, General, please don't worry anymore."
Shangguan Yichen's expression relaxed slightly, "Otherwise, I will not forgive Prince Yifei and Prince Heping."
Zhong Yujing pondered for a moment, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He said to Shangguan Yichen, "General, I have a plan. I'd like to ask if it's feasible."
Shangguan Yichen raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a smile, "Oh? What do you think, Prime Minister Jing?"
Zhong Yujing spoke freely like a curious child, "The general just mentioned that he met the young prince before His Majesty sent me here. The ten masked men's mission at that time wasn't to intercept Yi Shi and me on the road. His Majesty must have listened to what the two men in black said and sent me to Nansai. Prince Ping got wind of it and ordered the ten masked men to change or increase their original plan, attempting to kill Yi Shi and me on the way. His Majesty secretly sent me here, which means he's suspicious of Prince Ping's faction. Prince Ping doesn't want you to know about the conspiracy, so he can let your guard down and give them an opportunity to take advantage."
Shangguan Yichen looked at her with a smile and nodded slightly in agreement.
Zhong Yujing was greatly encouraged and continued, "So what was the original mission of the ten masked men? From what I heard from beneath the window, Prince Ping was not only delivering messages, but also transporting military supplies to Setu. The general just mentioned that after the last battle, the Setu side suffered heavy casualties. Right now, military supplies and medicine are a lifeline to them. If we can somehow cut off the supply of military supplies and medicine, and wait until Setu runs out of food and medicine, and then launch an all-out attack, wouldn't it be easy to wipe them out?"
Zhong Yujing spoke with great enthusiasm. Shangguan Yichen clapped his hands and praised him: "I fully agree with Prime Minister Jing's opinion."
Zhong Yujing continued, "The Setu people I was dealing with on the mountaintop clearly hadn't seen the people heading to meet Wang Qiang. When the ten masked men saw Yi Shi and I entering the miasma forest, they must have assumed we were in grave danger, and therefore didn't inform the Setu side promptly. The supplies haven't arrived yet, and for the time being, we can't let them know that Yi Shi and I are still alive. Therefore, I'd like to ask the general if we can immediately dispatch troops to closely guard the southern border of the Sai River. If we spot any suspicious individuals sent by Prince Ping to connect or deliver supplies, we can immediately intercept them and keep the news secret from the Setu side, so they'll just assume that Prince Ping's men haven't arrived yet."
The two hit it off immediately, and Shangguan Yichen summoned Yi Shi into the tent. "Give orders! Send a team of elite soldiers to garrison outside the miasma forest on the Nansai border. If any masked men or other suspicious individuals are spotted attempting to enter Nansai, they must be intercepted and reported immediately!"
Yi Shi accepted the order, and Shangguan Yichen added cautiously, "Deputy General Yi, please do not show up for the time being. Send others with elite troops. You and Inspector Jing must not appear outside our army for the time being. Do not let outsiders know that you are safe and have reached the army."
Yi Shi nodded, bowed, and left the military camp to convey the order. He specially sent a group of elite soldiers wrapped in the wind and rushed towards the miasma forest.
Looking at the soldiers' receding figures, Shangguan Yichen's eyes fixed for a moment, then he lowered his gaze, pondered for a moment, turned and walked towards the table, measuring and planning on the marching terrain map.
Zhong Yujing poured a cup of tea and quietly walked to Shangguan Yichen's side. He was so focused that he didn't notice.
She said softly, "General, please have a cup of tea."
He was dazed for a moment before realizing she was beside him. He took the teacup with a smile and nodded.
"Is there anything wrong?" she asked while looking at the topographic map.
Shangguan Yichen took a sip of tea, shook his head, and said with a smile: "I'm just thinking about the next strategy, there's nothing wrong with that."
Looking closer, she discovered the stubble of his beard and the shadows in his eyes. Zhong Yujing suddenly remembered what the Concubine Dowager had said, "Yichen has followed the prince in his battles since he was young. He never complained about hardship, and even when he was injured, he endured it alone until he recovered. I accidentally discovered it and didn't know he had been injured."
Zhong Yujing said, "General, please balance work and rest and take good care of yourself. You are the leader of the entire army and the support of tens of thousands of soldiers. You cannot afford to make any mistakes."
Shangguan Yichen placed his teacup on the table and said with a smile, "Prime Minister Jing is absolutely right. I will do as you wish." He stood up and looked up at Zhong Yujing and asked, "How is the Concubine Dowager these days?"
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