Yuan Yunzhong turned a blind eye and left the council hall, escorted by Commander Wang and several other military officials as they hurried toward the Capital City.
The moon was obscured by darkness, and the only sounds were the chaotic clopping of horse hooves, "clip-clop clip-clop," like drums beating against the ground.
A black feather arrow whistled through the night, aiming straight for Yuan Yunzhong.
"Be careful!" The sound of the arrow cutting through the air made Commander Wang’s ears twitch, and he unsheathed his sword to block the missile.
But more arrows took advantage of the moonlight to shoot towards them.
"Hisss!" A horse neighed in fright.
"Protect the lords!"
Chaos erupted on the postal road.
Yuan Yunzhong, without uttering a word, drew his waist knife and threw it in the direction the arrows were coming from.
Someone in the dense forest let out a scream of agony.
"The bandits are over there!" Commander Wang exclaimed, brandishing his sword and charging forward.
Sounds of metal triggers snapping echoed from the woods.
Yuan Yunzhong’s expression turned ice cold as he hastily said, "Dismount! Take cover! They have inferior bows!"
Everyone’s faces paled at his words.
Crossbows were weapons exclusive to the official guard stations of the Imperial Court, known for their long range and immense lethality.
Especially on such a night, thick with clouds and scarce with stars.
Even though Yuan Yunzhong had quickly raised the alarm, it was too late. They hadn’t yet dismounted when another volley of arrows rained down, and several horses fell to the ground with a "thud," whinnying in pain, as a colonel also got injured.
Commander Wang and Yuan Yunzhong took cover behind a thick tree, with Wang holding his injured arm and whispering, "Lord Yuan, it must be one of our own."
Yuan Yunzhong remained silent, carefully listening to the sounds around them.
Unable to hold back, Commander Wang cursed under his breath and said, "Those people from the Ministry of War are shameless, they want us all dead here. They’ll report back that it was refugee upheaval that caused the Emperor’s fury, drawing the ire of the ministers in the Imperial Court, and then deal with the fifty thousand refugees as bandits. Aren’t they afraid Master Jinghu and the Yuan Family will seek retribution against them?"
Yuan Yunzhong replied coldly, "I’m afraid it’s not just the Ministry of War involved, but possibly the tacit approval of all six ministries!"
Commander Wang swore again, his fear growing as he whispered, "Lord Yuan, what do we do?"
If all six ministries were involved, there was no chance they would be allowed to return.
"Hold out until dawn!" Yuan Yunzhong said. "My maternal grandfather hasn’t lost his mind yet."
The six ministries could deceive him for a moment, but not for several days.
Given his maternal grandfather’s character, he should have been keeping a close eye on the situation in Wanping County these past few days.
But Yuan Yunzhong was a bit puzzled as to why the food supplies from the Capital City hadn’t arrived on time.
Could it be that some unexpected event had happened on his maternal grandfather’s side?
Yuan Yunzhong gazed at the fragmented moon in the sky, his thoughts suddenly drifting back to that dilapidated room in Zhao Family Village.
The moon had been just like this that night.
Only then, Song Jiyun had been by his side, keeping him company.
He wondered how Yun Duo was faring now?
He now deeply regretted not having arranged things properly for Song Jiyun’s future when he left.
However, since he hadn’t made arrangements, he resolved to try his best to see her!
Having made up his mind, Yuan Yunzhong grew even calmer.
He said to Commander Wang, "It’s dark, we can’t see them, and they can’t see us. Let’s hide for now, make some noises occasionally to make them think we’re trying to break out, misleading them into shooting arrows continuously. Let’s conserve our strength, for we might have a fierce battle later."
Commander Wang acknowledged softly.
Arrows were not easily made, and the guard stations didn’t have an unlimited supply, not to mention how inconvenient they were to carry around. They couldn’t have that many arrows to use. But once their arrows were exhausted, it would be time for them to engage in close combat, with real swords and actual fights.
He gestured to his long-time subordinates.
The subordinate nodded.
The sounds gradually fell silent, leaving only the painful neighing of the horses, desolate and terrifying in the night.
An occasional noise would draw a flurry of disorderly arrows.
The noises slowly ceased, and the sound of arrow feathers gradually diminished.
Until a series of footsteps trampling through the underbrush emanated from the dense woods.
Commander Wang clenched the hilt of his sword tightly.
Arrow feathers suddenly whistled through the air.
A cry of pain came from the dense forest.
The arrows became more dense and urgent, like a summer downpour.
Someone in the forest shouted in panic, "Who is it? Who the hell is shooting those damn black arrows!"
The response was an even more hurried flight of arrows.
"Retreat! Retreat quickly! Someone has betrayed us!"
"Damn it! Who is messing around? If I find out who it is, I’ll take their life!"
Commander Wang and his subordinate exchanged glances.
Yuan Yunzhong’s brows were tightly furrowed.
A group of men clad in chain mail and helmets, holding crossbows, emerged from the dense forest and advanced towards the group that had ambushed them earlier.
Commander Wang asked blankly, "Lord Yuan, which Guard Station’s brothers are these?"
Yuan Yunzhong was just as clueless.
Someone peeked out from behind a nearby large tree, waving at him.
Under the moonlight, the snow-white tender fingers shone like warm jade, emitting a shimmering light.
Yuan Yunzhong covered his face and smiled until a crisp female voice whispered to him, "Hurry, we need to find a way out of here." He then let go and quickly dodged behind the woman’s tree, hugged her tightly, and called out "Yun Duo," unable to speak any further.
She shouldn’t have come.
But he was overjoyed.
Song Jiyun’s heart was still suspended mid-air, she understood his excitement, hugged him back, and then pushed him away, saying urgently, "We need to leave here quickly. Five of the Shang Twelfth Armies were involved in this ambush. But they suspect each other and don’t want to reveal their identities openly, just hiding along the inevitable route of your return to the Capital City, too timid to show themselves. We’ll head back to Shijingshan. If this escalates, there are still four other guards at Shijingshan and Lord Bai, which should hold until the Imperial Court realizes something is wrong."
This would serve as a lesson for Master Jinghu.
To make him think he had everything under control, not knowing that people’s hearts can change easily.
How could one gamble with Yuan Yunzhong’s safety?
Yuan Yunzhong hesitated for a moment, "But tomorrow, fifty thousand refugees might starve!"
Song Jiyun smiled at him.
Her alluring eyes and brows under the moonlight were like a blooming Epiphyllum, devoid of flamboyance, outstandingly clear and bright.
"What do you think I came for?" she laughed.
Yuan Yunzhong’s eyes lit up.
Someone quietly approached.
Yuan Yunzhong’s gaze sharpened as he looked over.
The newcomer immediately raised his hands, whispering, "It’s me, Xu Guangzeng. I came to tell Boss Song that we need to leave quickly. They’re after Lord Yuan’s life, they won’t care about the food. Shao Qing is handling the food and has taken a detour to Daxing and headed to Shijingshan."
As for himself, he would continue hiding here until Yuan Yunzhong and the Shang Twelfth Armies, along with the officials from the Ministry of War, figured out a winner. Then he would decide whether to rush to Shijingshan or quietly return to the Capital City.
Yuan Yunzhong ignored him and turned to the people fighting fiercely with the Shang Twelfth Armies in the dense forest and asked Song Jiyun, "Who are these people?"
"It’s a long story; I’ll tell you on the way," Song Jiyun said, pulling at his arm as they headed into the dense forest, "Let’s get out of here first."
Yuan Yunzhong took one last glance at the group in chain mail and followed Song Jiyun into the woods.
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