Chapter 76: High Walls and Deep Moats; The Misunderstanding Between the Imperial Brothers is Resolved + Tian Tong’s Recommendation…
The setting sun dyed the reed marshes a deep blood-red.
A night wind rose suddenly, and all the reeds swayed in the same direction.
Lian Qing tried his best to look deep into the reeds, but in such a vast environment, he could only hear the voice and not see the person. He didn’t know where this person came from. Had he been following them all along? Or…
Lian Qing gripped the reins tightly, his calloused palms seeping with a thin sweat that made the gaps between his fingers sting.
When they rescued the Emperor at the Luoshan mountain fortress, was the person who sent the blueprints also this man?
Lian Qing’s heart was shrouded in suspicion.
He was usually impulsive, but now he didn’t dare speak or ask. He stood frozen like a stone statue behind Xie Qianli, finding himself less and less able to understand the man.
He even vaguely felt his respect for General Xie shifting toward a slight fear.
Xie Qianli got straight to the point: “Is the sovereign in Guangling?”
The mysterious person left no trace. After a moment, he replied: “They are searching the city for two spies. One holds a short blade; the other’s situation is unclear.”
Then it could be basically confirmed as Ying Dang.
Xie Qianli: “Can you contact the sovereign?”
“Guangling’s walls are high and its moats are deep; his tracks are hard to find.”
The dialogue was extremely brief.
Both sides did their best to shorten the meeting time. Xie Qianli waved his hand: “Go.”
The movement in the reeds stopped abruptly.
Lian Qing poked his head out to search again, but he still couldn’t see a silhouette. The cold sweat that had risen slowly seeped back into his skin.
A misty voice rose from the reeds, seemingly adding a suddenly important remark: “Jia Ruzhen is severely injured.” After that, the voice was heard no more.
A layer of frost-like coldness appeared between Xie Qianli’s brows.
He pondered for a moment, and his dry, thin lips slowly curled upward.
“Pass the order to the Longwujun soldiers.”
Lian Qing acknowledged: “What are the General’s orders?”
“Bixia hasn’t been captured yet. That is good news,” Xie Qianli said. “Prefect Jia must want to turn the tables by killing the Emperor. His mind is now entirely on Bixia, which is equivalent to Bixia buying time for the siege.”
“If the city falls and that man named Jia still hasn’t found the Emperor, he will certainly die. I shall intentionally divert his energy.”
Lian Qing: “Then we…”
“Coordinate fully with the Southern Expeditionary Army to storm the city!”
Drip-drop.
Drip-drop, drip-drop…
Twilight approached evening; dark clouds gathered!
Just now, after they fell from the Yongning Prince Mansion, Ying Xi relied on his familiarity with the terrain to slip into the narrow alleyway between the mansion and the adjacent civilian house.
Jiang Guang and the others rushed in the opposite direction with their blades!
Ying Xi sneered at their completely wrong course.
The wounds all over Ying Dang’s body were still bleeding. Only his grip on Ying Xi’s hand remained very, very tight. His consciousness was already hazy: “Brother… how could he… how…”
“I can’t hear what you’re saying!” Ying Xi frowned.
Even if he wanted to teach his brother a lesson, it would have to wait until they were out of danger.
Ying Xi supported one of Prince Yong’s arms, clearly feeling Prince Yong’s body growing heavier. Ying Xi tore a strip from Ying Dang’s silk clothing and immediately tied it around the top of Prince Yong’s upper arm, slowing the blood flow.
But that sword wound on Ying Dang’s back—the situation couldn’t be seen from the surface.
In Guangling City, were there any doctors now?
He looked up; the long street was deserted.
Because the war was raging, none of the commoners dared to leave their homes lightly. Ying Xi dragged Ying Dang along, trying first to get closer to a medical hall.
A squad of soldiers carrying weapons ran past in formation—
Prince Yong’s body jerked as if to draw his blade, but he coughed up a large mouthful of blood instead.
Ying Xi had no choice but to block it with his hand. His brother’s thick blood seeped through the gaps in his fingers.
He took Ying Dang into a corner, blending into the shadows cast by the walls as night began to fall.
This rebel squad was heading for the city gate.
The military situation was urgent, so the soldiers didn’t look left or right:
“Hurry! Pick up the pace! Xie Meng is attacking the city again!”
“There are over a hundred people pushing the battering ram below the wall! They’ve lit fires twice on the wall, and those people have raised their shields.”
When fire fell from the sky, as long as it didn’t hit a person, it wouldn’t cause too much damage.
Ying Xi nodded secretly. It seemed Xie Meng was being utilized properly.
The squad of soldiers added: “The man named Xie has led his army to stay below the city for a long time. Why doesn’t the Prefect take advantage of the enemy’s low morale to attack Xie Meng’s observation tower?”
“That man named Xie brought another man named Xie!”
“The Longwujun commander, Xie Qianli, claims to be attacking the city on the Imperial Decree of the Emperor of the North. He even put a price on Prefect Jia’s head…” The voice grew lower during the last half of the sentence as the squad moved further away.
Ying Xi emerged from the shadows.
He had long since left the camp, yet the army’s morale hadn’t wavered in the slightest; Ju’er deserved much credit.
Perhaps for this siege, Xie Qianli was the vanguard leading the charge.
The Emperor and the General had reached a tactical understanding: Xie Qianli was creating an opportunity for him to escape.
Does he know Zhen is in the city?
Ying Xi’s eyelashes drooped.
In this extremely tense situation, he unconsciously spared a thread of his mind, as if he were once again enveloped in that silver-white Kirin-patterned cloak, remembering the clean and warm scent that surrounded him.
Ripples flowed through Ying Xi’s deep gray eyes.
Tian Tong lamented: [The Big Wolf Dog is so reliable. Too bad he’s straight.]
Tian Tong: [Should we bend him?]
Ying Xi paused.
Strangely enough, he could understand the meaning of the word “bend.” A sense of helplessness spread through him, and the corners of his mouth curled into a gentle arc.
But the Emperor sensitively recalled the words of the soldiers just now—both the navy and the Longwujun were surnamed Xie. The ripples in the lake of his heart froze.
“No need.”
[I knew it!] Tian Tong grumbled.
Those brief musings were interrupted by reality as Ying Xi heard someone shout:
“Those two brats tricked us just now.”
“They’re over there!”
It was Jia Ruzhen’s disciple!
Jiang Guang discovered he had been fooled and brought over a dozen jianghu masters back to search in the opposite direction.
Their speed was incredibly fast, and before long, their silhouettes became increasingly clear.
Ying Xi was dragging Prince Yong; going out now would be exposing their target. But in this corner, there were few things that could hide the two brothers.
He could only hope the other was not very bright and wouldn’t look into the gap between the walls, letting him trick them once more.
As expected, Jiang Guang was stubborn.
His silhouette appeared outside the gap, but he didn’t stop, continuing to run forward. Ying Xi closed his eyes.
Someone in the squad said: “Junior Brother, there’s blood on the ground!”
Jiang Guang stopped instantly.
Cold sweat erupted all over Ying Xi’s body. It was likely he hadn’t seen it, but Dang’er had accidentally dripped some.
Jiang Guang lingered for a moment. Ying Xi was in the gap, his eyes fixed on the outside.
Two refugees were sitting against the base of the wall across the street. Seeing a man with a blade approaching, they trembled with fear.
“Have you seen two spies?” Jiang Guang asked.
Fearing they would provoke the man, the refugees’ eyes darted around as they said: “They… they went toward the end of the street.”
Jiang Guang: “Pursue!”
The pursuers’ skills were truly too fast; in the blink of an eye, they were gone. Ying Xi felt a lingering fear.
But that Jiang Guang had been tricked twice and had finally grown a brain. He stayed behind to linger, his elongated shadow appearing repeatedly in Ying Xi’s field of vision.
At this moment, Ying Dang coughed up some blood.
“What was that sound?” Jiang Guang finally noticed the gap between the walls.
The chill in Ying Xi’s heart reached its peak!
A silhouette surged into the gap.
A broadsword unfurled, its light like a flash of lightning, hacking wildly at the two!
Prince Yong blocked Ying Xi, but the blade in his hand was taken by his brother. His brother’s back suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Prince Yong was shocked, and the opponent was ecstatic.
Jiang Guang slashed at Ying Xi several times in succession, viciously yet unable to draw even a trace of blood.
The elasticity of the silicone caused the blade to either graze the skin of the dummy or sink into the dummy’s body in a dull, clumsy way. The dummy’s texture was tough, and each of Jiang Guang’s forceful strikes was stronger than the last…
He had been tricked!
The real Ying Xi circled around the dummy.
Grasping the blade with both hands, the short blade pierced into the enemy’s heart from behind.
Ying Dang grabbed the opponent’s arm, which was still swinging the sword. The two brothers surrounded Jiang Guang. Blood flowed through the gap in the wall, slowly spreading outside. The enemy had completely lost all breath.
Ying Xi’s fingertips holding the blade were trembling, his jade-like face splattered with blood. Droplets of blood hung from his eyelashes.
He had killed someone.
This was the first time, in a life-and-death struggle, that he had personally ended someone else’s life.
The blood made him feel excited, and Ying Xi gasped for air.
He had to use all his strength to calm the feeling that his heart was about to jump out of his chest. He dragged Ying Dang out of the long street, leaving behind one red footprint after another.
Tian Tong: [Bixia…]
“It was an emergency. Zhen shouldn’t have let you see.” Ying Xi shook the blood off his hand.
Tian Tong asked timidly: [Is there anything else I can do for Bixia?]
“Can we return to the base?”
Tian Tong was sorry; it made a crackling sound.
[No.]
Ying Xi had overdrawn the system’s energy multiple times and hadn’t helped Tian Tong recover properly. Now, he himself was nearly at his limit. He couldn’t rely on the system, and sending a message via a carrier pigeon might expose his location. Ying Xi didn’t dare to try it.
“Sleep. Zhen will call you if needed.”
Tian Tong was obedient: [Oh.]
“Once this war is over, Zhen will let you arrange things. I’ll be willing to do whatever mission you give me.”
[Nice, nice!] Tian Tong scattered a few light pink flower petals.
The little girl was quite cute.
Move.
Keep moving…
The night in Guangling City had never been so difficult to endure.
As a child in Guangling, the night represented being able to read a favorite book after finishing homework, being able to find Father and Mother to listen to stories, and blowing out the lamps when tired to sleep together as brothers, holding his younger brother.
Now, outside there was the conquering of territory, and inside there were blades and swords pressing in.
Ying Xi took Ying Dang along the familiar small paths of years past.
This street once had many medical halls.
Ying Xi was sickly as a child. The Prince Mansion’s physician lived in the estate, but he had two months of annual leave each year, so the Heir Apparent would also go out for consultations.
Ying Xi stood at the entrance of one of the medical halls. The outside was tightly sealed with wooden planks; he didn’t know if anyone was inside.
He didn’t want Dang’er to die.
Even though Dang’er had done many things that made people angry.
He hesitated whether to knock.
Would it expose his and his brother’s tracks?
The internal struggle made Ying Xi feel exhausted.
It was only when he was in trouble alone that he realized he couldn’t rely on anyone and could trust no one.
Does an Emperor also need to cultivate an intimate and stable relationship? Should he also appropriately let down his guard and stop calculating?
The thought suddenly occurred to Ying Xi.
But his heart tightened hurriedly. Across the wall behind him, he heard voices again:
“Search over there!”
“Jiang Guang has already been killed by them. These two can’t have gone far. Watch for bloodstains on the ground!”
“Commandant Sun, the enemy vanguard has personally ascended the wall!”
“The enemy general is organizing soldiers to forcibly scale the wall. Should we send troops out of the city to engage them?”
“Do you know who he is?”
“A subordinate of Xie Meng…”
“Bullsh*t!” the Commandant roared. “Xie Qianli is the most trusted general of the little Emperor. He slaughtered all the rebel armies in the north. On the water, we might dare to say we have a chance against him, but the city is built on land. If you dare to open the gates, you’re just waiting to die!”
“Then what should we do?”
“Report to the Prefect. Start by throwing things down from the wall!”
“Rocks, furniture… throw down anything heavy. Smash these sons of b*tches to death.”
Ying Xi’s delicate brows furrowed.
He glanced toward the South Gate, his thoughts lingering for a moment on the word “trust.”
Prince Yong, leaning against his shoulder, was now completely unable to stand. Ying Dang’s knees buckled.
Ying Xi hardened his heart and slapped the door of the medical hall!
Bang.
Bang-bang.
“Is there a doctor inside? I have a patient seeking a consultation!”
The sound of the knocking seemed to be swallowed by the night. Ying Xi curled his fingers.
His knuckles struck the door again. Through the door panel, he heard an old voice: “The doctor has already gone to the Prefect’s Mansion. My son hasn’t returned to the medical hall for several days. Patient, please seek help elsewhere.”
Ying Xi’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Hearing the person mention the Prefect’s Mansion, he thought this was a confidant of Jia Ruzhen.
But he could no longer support Prince Yong’s body.
Ying Dang’s entire weight pressed against the thick wooden planks blocking the medical hall, making a muffled sound.
“Dang’er!”
Ying Xi fell along with him, using both arms to pull Prince Yong up. A layer of mottled blood smeared onto the blackened wooden planks of the Anren Yaotang.
A doctor’s heart is benevolent. Although they are accustomed to life and death, they still cannot bear to see a patient suffer.
The door of the Anren Yaotang was pushed open from the inside by a pair of large, wrinkled hands.
The elderly doctor had white hair and was keeping watch alone in the dark shop permeated with the scent of medicinal herbs. No candles were lit in the hall. Under the moonlight, the old man’s clouded eyes seemed to hold tears.
Ying Xi slowly raised his head.
The elder slowly looked over the visitors, the tears in his eyes seemingly flickering.
The elder said hoarsely: “Bixia, Your Highness, please come in.”
Translator’s Note: Wow, things are getting intense! Anren Yaotang (安仁藥堂) is the name of the medical hall. The old doctor recognizes them—could he be an old acquaintance from the Prince Mansion? And that dummy swap! Tian Tong (甜統) is really coming in handy. Bixia (陛下) and Dang’er are still in a tight spot, but at least they’ve found some shelter. Also, “A kind man does not lead troops” is a classic saying—Xie Qianli is proving he’s more than just a polite gentleman. See you in the next one!
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