The Qin family traveled three hours under nightfall, finally reaching the outskirts of Yongtai Prefecture at the Hour of the Boar.
They didn’t act imdiately but instead hid beneath a dry riverbed on the outskirts.
The dried riverbed was hidden amidst withered vines that concealed their bodies.
Not far from the dry river, dozens of tents stood, with armored soldiers patrolling nearby ard with spears adorned with red tassels.
After Peng Changyong occupied Yongtai Prefecture, he stationed soldiers on the outskirts to prevent anyone from getting wind of the situation and launching a surprise attack.
The soldier Qin San Lang captured was one of Peng Changyong’s personal guards. From him, they learned many details about Peng Changyong, including information about his dealings with Elder Cao. They also interrogated him about Peng Changyong’s troop deploynts after seizing Yongtai Prefecture.
This encampnt was their primary target for the night.
An hour later, they discerned the patrol patterns of the encampnt. Taking advantage of the darkness, they snuck into the camp, entered a tent, killed a Section Leader and two soldiers, stole their uniforms and identification plaques, then hid the corpses under the bedding. Quietly, they withdrew and set off towards Yongtai Prefecture.
When they arrived beneath Yongtai Prefecture’s city walls, Qin Er Lang waved a Military Flag and shouted at the guards atop the gate tower, "Open the gate! Sun Company Commander sent us to inform General Peng there’s another convoy of fat at arriving!"
"Fat at" was Peng Changyong’s derogatory nickna for wealthy refugee families. In addition to lying about battle achievents, Peng also intercepted and plundered traveling caravans for profit.
It was deep into the night, and the guard soldiers stationed at the gates were drowsy. Hearing this, their spirits lifted, and they laughed heartily, "Another bunch of fools delivering us grain, money, and won!"
The guards didn’t think much of it, as they had indeed killed several wealthy refugees in recent days. After asking for their nas and positions, they lowered a bamboo basket from the tower and told them, "Put your identification plaques inside."
Qin Er Lang and his group placed three plaques into the basket.
The guards took the plaques to the garrison commander and explained the situation.
The garrison commander, a slightly overweight middle-aged man, was heavily drunk. Upon hearing there were only three of them and seeing the verification, including a Section Leader’s plaque, he relaxed significantly and slurred, "Let, let them through~"
"Alright, I’ll go open the gate for them right now," a guard gleefully replied, obeying the order. Once the Qin family was allowed entry, the guard imdiately greedily asked them, "Brothers, does that convoy of fat at have valuable loot?"
Old Qin chuckled, "Loaded, twenty-six wagons in total. So of those wagons are deep-grooved—the heavy kind. Probably filled with gold and silver. They’re resting outside the city for the night. By dawn, they’ll be entering the city."
The guard nearly drooled, "Wealth beyond imagination!"
This particular guard loved money, while his colleague loved won more. "That convoy—any young ladies in there? Heard from the General that those noble daughters are soft as butter. If I could have just one night with one, dying after that would be worth it!"
Qin Er Lang felt nauseated witnessing the lewd expression on the soldier’s face but said, "There are so young ladies, along with a few young madams."
The guard’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, uttering multiple praises. Old Qin exchanged a few more pleasantries with them before bidding farewell. As they walked into the city, the guards’ laughter still echoed behind them.
Qin Er Lang cursed softly, "How is it that the soldiers of my Great Chu are such beasts!"
Old Qin frowned and cautioned him, "Stop talking. Rember what you promised us. After tonight, you must follow us southbound. You cannot desert us."
Qin Er Lang remained silent for a mont, then nodded in agreent.
The captured soldier told Qin San Lang that Peng Changyong had been staying at the Magistrate’s Mansion. The three made their way towards it.
Along the way, they didn’t co across any bodies, but there were patches of dried, dark bloodstains, filling the air with the stench of iron—the silent evidence of the tragedies that had befallen this Prefecture.
The Magistrate’s Mansion was located in the city’s center. The mont they arrived outside, they heard bursts of n’s laughter mixed with won’s cries.
Qin Er Lang’s expression darkened, his eyes filled with rage. Qin San Lang whispered to him, "Second Brother, keep it together. Don’t expose us."
They’d co to assassinate, but his overflowing emotions made him more susceptible to detection.
Qin Er Lang suppressed the hatred on his face, then joined Old Qin and Qin San Lang as they entered the mansion.
Half an hour later, chaos erupted within the compound. Soone scread, "Help, help! The General has been killed!"
The reveling soldiers froze, their faces pale as they scrambled to grab their weapons, rushing toward Peng Changyong’s residence. But they found no trace of the assassins—only Peng Changyong’s corpse, his entire body swollen and discolored.
...
The following morning, just as dawn broke, Gu Jinli awoke. Using the light from the dying embers, she noticed the others in the cave were still sound asleep. She moved quietly, stepping outside to stand on the slope. She scanned the grass below in the dim light but didn’t see the Qin family anywhere.
...Still not back.
She lingered on the slope for a while before returning to the cave. She took out several stalks of siler she’d gathered the previous day, stripped off their leaves, and cut the roots into small chunks. Retrieving a tal pot, she began roasting the siler’s roots.
By the ti she had finished preparing the dicine, the others awoke.
Luo Huiniang, spotting the small chunks of siler being placed into a bamboo tube, imdiately ran over, rubbing her eyes as she squatted beside her. "Xiao Yu, did you finish preparing the dicine?"
Last night, Xiao Yu had ntioned she would wake early to process the herbs. Luo Huiniang had been curious and intended to watch her, but she’d overslept.
Gu Jinli nodded, her face softening at the sight of the still-groggy Luo Huiniang. She chuckled, "Yes, it’s all done."
Siler wasn’t a rare or expensive herb; it was quite common, and its preparation thod was straightforward.
She handed two roasted slices of siler to Luo Huiniang, saying, "Here, you can play with these."
Luo Huiniang stared at the pieces in her hand before biting into one. "It’s hard, but kind of sweet."
After spitting out the piece, Luo Huiniang asked for two more slices, then ran to show the others. "Look! Xiao Yu made so herbs; they’re called sothing ’feng,’ and they can cure colds!"
Gu Jinli didn’t stop her since it was her way of gradually acclimating people to the fact she possessed dical skills.
Following Luo Huiniang’s announcent, everyone ca to know that Gu Jinli could indeed prepare dicine.
Third Grandma inspected a slice of siler, smiling, "Our Xiao Yu truly lives up to her reputation for reading dical books; she already knows how to prepare herbs."
Aunt Tian, being reliant on food from Dashan’s family, also chid in with praises.
Mrs. Chen loved to follow along and complint people since it cost her nothing, so she, too, heaped a litany of complints on Gu Jinli.
Gu Yui, overhearing all the praise for Gu Jinli, felt a twinge of jealousy. She muttered under her breath, dissatisfied, "What’s so special about this? She just chopped up so plants and roasted them in a pot—hardly a skill worth bragging about."
User Comments
0 comments from readers