HMHSE - 72

A swift horse galloped like the wind along a deserted, secluded path, until it met a large contingent of soldiers and horses, then reined in sharply.

It was a soldier on horseback, rushing to deliver a message. He stopped and immediately reported: “Boss, Hundred-Captain Hu Shiyi and Zhang Wei led their teams and held them off in front of the pass city, just as you instructed!”

Shan Zong reined in his horse midway, with the soldiers and horses accompanying him on this gold transport mission behind him. He nodded, his eyes steady. “Hold them until I get back.”

The soldier immediately clasped his hands, turned around, and went to deliver the message again.

Shan Zong waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him moved in unison, continuing to swiftly advance towards Youzhou.

He paused, however, and glanced back at the distant Chang’an city gate towers.

With just one look, he turned his head, spurred his horse, and galloped away, leaving a trail of dust.

Donglai walked quickly along the corridor of the Duke of Zhao’s mansion towards Shen Rong’s living quarters.

At the door, he respectfully called, “Young Mistress.”

Shen Rong walked out, seeing his bowed head and fine sweat on his forehead, knowing he had just returned from outside. She gently clasped her hands. “He’s gone?”

“Yes,” Donglai replied, lowering his voice. “He left before the order from Chang’an’s government office reached the official post, but Commander Shan left a message for the Young Mistress.”

Shen Rong frowned, feeling even more certain that something was amiss; otherwise, he wouldn’t have left so hastily. “Tell me.”

“He said, ‘I’ll wait for you in Youzhou.’“

Shen Rong’s ears instantly flushed. This sentence, conveyed by someone else, was surprisingly direct, but her heart sank. She said in a low voice, “How can he be so sure that I’ll be able to go to Youzhou again?”

He had returned empty-handed this trip, and she probably wouldn’t have another chance to go to Youzhou.

Donglai said, “This subordinate doesn’t know, but Commander Shan just said so.”

Hearing him say this, Shen Rong could almost picture Shan Zong’s expression when he said it—it must have been utterly confident.

She thought about it repeatedly, still feeling that something wasn’t quite right. She walked past Donglai and out.

Outside her father’s study, she happened upon her father coming out. He was dressed in a solemn official robe, his head covered by a black gauze official hat, indicating he had just returned from court.

“Father,” Shen Rong quickly approached. “I want to know if the Hedong region has been de-restricted yet?”

The Duke of Zhao paused. “No, why do you ask?”

Shen Rong hesitated, then still voiced her inner worry. “Brother hasn’t sent a letter for so long. I’m a bit worried.”

She always suspected something had happened in Youzhou; otherwise, Shan Zong wouldn’t have left early without waiting for the order. That day, he specifically asked Eldest Cousin to take her out to meet him, but he left without even finishing his words. It was clearly Youzhou military affairs that had arrived.

Fine lines appeared at the corners of the Duke of Zhao’s eyes. “He indeed hasn’t sent a letter for a long time. Although communication is currently difficult, he should still send a message of safety, especially since the first batch of gold was just smelted. He should have sent a letter.”

Shen Rong also felt something was amiss for this very reason. She initially thought it was because the note she left had displeased Changsun Xin, which was why he hadn’t written. But now that the gold had been smelted, the mine revealed, and the emperor was about to bestow rewards, there should have been news.

Suddenly, a servant reported, “Duke, someone from the palace has arrived to bestow rewards.”

The Duke of Zhao immediately straightened his robes upon hearing this and said to Shen Rong, “This morning in court, the Saint already increased the Duke of Zhao’s demesne. I didn’t expect another reward to arrive now. I’ll go express my gratitude first. If you have anything to say, perhaps later.”

Shen Rong had no choice but to put aside her worries for now and step aside.

She heard that the new emperor disliked pomp. In the past, whenever someone from the palace arrived, the entire family would respectfully greet them, but this was never the case with him. Now, only her father needed to appear.

After her father had walked away, she thought for a moment and decided to quietly follow and see.

A eunuch, wearing a high hat, stood in the front hall, speaking with the Duke of Zhao—

“The Saint has ordered the Youzhou Militia Commander to return quickly, for the stability of the mine, and also intends to summon Assistant Minister Changsun to the capital to receive his reward in person.”

On the table were several open lacquer boxes, vaguely revealing two translucent green jade ruyi scepters and several hooves of bright pearls, probably rewards for the ladies of the mansion.

Shen Rong quietly stood outside the window and took a look. She was somewhat surprised by these words. According to the long-standing rules of the country, those summoned to receive awards in person were extremely highly regarded by the emperor.

It was evident that the timely delivery of this batch of gold had greatly pleased the new emperor.

Indeed, she heard her father say, “The Saint’s benevolence is immense; we shall naturally comply.”

The eunuch shook his head. “Duke, you may not know, but the Saint now places great importance on that mine. To ensure stability, Marquis Heluo proposed this assistance.”

The Duke of Zhao pondered for a moment, then smiled again. “In that case, perhaps I should make a trip myself.”

The eunuch quickly raised his hand to stop him. “Absolutely not! Why should the Duke personally exert himself? The Saint would never permit it.”

After saying that, he bowed and departed.

The Duke of Zhao looked towards the window. “You’ve seen everything. Come in.”

Shen Rong moved away from the window and entered the hall. “Father, why do you think Marquis Heluo proposed assistance at this time?”

The Duke of Zhao frowned. “I think Marquis Heluo usually conducts himself as a gentleman; he doesn’t seem like someone who would interfere midway to seize another’s achievements. However, we must still be cautious.”

Marquis Heluo of Luoyang had a great achievement in supporting the new emperor’s ascension and held significant influence, making him difficult to offend.

Now that the gold mine had come to light with this batch of gold transported to the capital, he suddenly expressed a desire to assist.

This so-called “takeover”—whether it merely meant helping Changsun Xin oversee for a period to gain a share, or fully taking over—was difficult to predict, and thus difficult to determine his true intentions.

The imperial court was treacherous. Receiving a reward and then this incident immediately afterward, regardless, it was not good news.

Shen Rong silently organized her thoughts. She didn’t know the situation in Youzhou, nor how her brother was doing, nor where Shan Zong was or what he was busy with, and now this new development.

She pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized something. She looked at her father and gently parted her lips. “Actually, if Father is worried, I can go take over for brother. It would also be a good opportunity to see how he is.”

As she finished speaking, her heart involuntarily tightened. She secretly clenched her fingers and added, “As long as Father trusts me.”

The Duke of Zhao’s pale, beardless face turned to her. He looked at her for a long while, then sighed. “You know I’ve always trusted you the most, otherwise I wouldn’t have allowed you to go the second time.”

Indeed, the Duke of Zhao had also thought of this. At that time, simply reporting to the palace that someone was already on site, along with her mine map, would be more reliable than those who took over midway. Although the Saint was young, he was not foolish, and thus Marquis Heluo’s “good intentions” could be politely and logically declined.

Shen Rong’s heart stirred slightly. “Father still cares about Shan Zong.”

The Duke of Zhao said, “Since that boy has the intention of marrying you, how can I not care?”

Shen Rong moved her lips. “Then... are we just going to let Marquis Heluo’s influence infiltrate our Changsun family?”

The Duke of Zhao’s brow immediately furrowed into a deep ‘川’ (chuan) character. She saw clearly that this was precisely the crux of his unwillingness.

After a long while, he glanced at her again, his eyes lowered in contemplation. “Actually, the entire Changsun family knows that you are primarily responsible for the gold mine’s discovery, and you are also the most suitable person to be there. I shouldn’t have stopped you.”

“I don’t care about those things,” Shen Rong said casually. “This is all I know how to do, so I’ll just do my best.”

No matter what she had experienced, this family had always sheltered her from wind and rain, never letting her suffer any grievance.

Even now, her parents’ decisions were always made with her in mind. How could she care about any achievements?

As Shen Rong spoke, she suddenly understood and looked at him. “Father, have you relented?”

The Duke of Zhao smiled helplessly. “I am indeed a bit worried about your brother, and I do trust you. I’m just afraid your mother won’t be at ease, but fortunately she doesn’t know what that boy did recently.”

Shen Rong understood. “Mother is never one to be unsympathetic to reasons; it’s just because of my situation.”

The Duke of Zhao nodded, silent for a long time.

A quarter of an hour later, Zirui and Donglai waited outside her room for Shen Rong to return.

Before entering the room, she paused. “He only left me that message?”

Donglai bowed his head. “Yes, he only said he’d wait for the Young Mistress in Youzhou.”

In the front hall just now, the final outcome of their discussion was a single sentence from the Duke of Zhao: “Let’s wait until the Hedong region is de-restricted before discussing it further.”

Shen Rong then knew that her father had indeed relented.

A thought suddenly popped into her mind: Shan Zong had personally handed over that batch of gold. Had he anticipated that the new emperor would summon her brother for a direct commendation, which was why he left the message about waiting for her in Youzhou?

If so, that man’s mind was truly profound.

She looked north, completely unaware of the current situation in Youzhou, or where he was.

________________________________________

Youzhou, above the pass city nestled amidst the mountains.

Deep in the night, with countless stars in the sky, a choking smell of smoke permeated the air.

Hu Shiyi and Zhang Wei led their men, defending the pass city. Below, outside the city, was a wave of enemy soldiers who had just retreated, leaving behind a dozen corpses.

“Damn it, why are there so many of them this time!” Hu Shiyi spat, a mouthful of smoke-filled spittle.

Shan Zong’s troop training often included contingency plans, precisely to deal with such sudden incursions.

In previous years, they had never had to use them. Even when a group of elite soldiers tried to infiltrate the pass before, they were completely wiped out by encirclement and ambush.

He hadn’t expected that after he escorted the gold to Chang’an this time, the enemy would become somewhat reckless. They had no choice but to use their contingency plans.

Hu Shiyi and Zhang Wei had used fire attacks several times in recent days, which had temporarily repelled this wave of enemy soldiers.

Zhang Wei’s face was covered in black soot. He first ordered the soldiers on the city wall to extinguish their torches to conceal their numbers, then leaned against the city wall, breathing heavily. “Boss used to say that in situations like this, they would attack again. We can’t be careless.”

Hu Shiyi wiped his face. “You said since the establishment of the garrison, we haven’t had a single battle with those outside the pass. How did Boss know about these attack routes from outside the pass?”

“We haven’t had a battle with him in these past few years, but who’s to say he didn’t have battles before!”

Hu Shiyi realized. “That’s right, I was confused by those foreign dog thieves.”

Zhang Wei took a swig of water in the dark. “The military report was sent to Chang’an days ago. Boss will definitely rush back, he might be arriving soon.”

Hu Shiyi snatched his water flask, took a gulp, and said breathlessly, “What’s that? We’ll wipe out these dog thieves before he even gets back.”

The two had barely rested for less than a quarter of an hour when a sharp whistle suddenly sounded.

Hu Shiyi sprang to his feet. “Damn it, there’s another wave indeed!”

Zhang Wei immediately rallied his men. “Quick! It’s from the direction of the mine!”

Changsun Xin, sitting near the mine shaft, suddenly heard the sharp, piercing whistle. He was startled, then irritably wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He had been trapped in Mount Wangji for several days and had heard these warning sounds many times, but he still wasn’t quite used to them.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t leave, but he couldn’t leave rashly.

It wasn’t peaceful here now. They were smelting minerals peacefully when the pass city was suddenly attacked from all sides.

When the military post sent a message to Chang’an a while ago, he and the few officials from the Ministry of Works had actually avoided the area.

A few days later, when things settled down, they returned to continue smelting.

Unexpectedly, upon their return, the enemy had resurfaced, even more intensely.

For days, the surroundings had been unstable. That day, he had originally intended to leave the mountain to avoid the situation, but suddenly, flying arrows appeared, and soldiers in front of them were hit and fell.

Immediately, no one dared to go out anymore. As the Assistant Minister of Works, he could not disregard the lives of his subordinates and force them to leave the mountain, so he had to wait here first.

The group of convicts were all confined in the mining pits below. It would get stuffy down there after a while, so he and the officials had to come out for some fresh air.

Flickering firelight in the distance, large cauldrons burning with oil were holding back this wave.

Still, some people had infiltrated. Sharp whistles sounded repeatedly.

Torches flickered nearby; it looked like people from the military post were rushing this way.

Changsun Xin knew that each defensive wave would be dangerous. He stood up to evade, but saw the group of people rushing directly towards them, much faster than usual.

“Assistant Minister, be careful!” an official from the Ministry of Works behind him yelled.

Changsun Xin had no time to evade. The people in front of him were not from the military post, but over a dozen disheveled enemy soldiers wielding large, curved sabers.

The soldiers from the military post guarding nearby rushed forward, engaging in close combat.

Only then did Changsun Xin avoid being cut down by a saber. He immediately ran towards the pit.

In the distance, Zhang Wei arrived with his team, urgently shouting, “Assistant Minister, hide quickly!”

Changsun Xin cursed under his breath. Calling him “Assistant Minister”! Those men would certainly exert themselves to capture him!

Indeed, while the infiltrating enemy soldiers were fighting, some of them came towards him again.

Zhang Wei arrived and blocked those few.

Changsun Xin successfully evaded, but ended up a considerable distance from the pit, unable to go down and hide. He could only retreat to the mountain wall where the other officials were hiding.

Hu Shiyi was calling for reinforcements, and Zhang Wei was still holding them off here. This wave was a bit tricky.

Changsun Xin was worried when he suddenly saw several sharp shadows shoot past Zhang Wei, like arrows. Several enemy soldiers entangled around him fell.

A soldier in the distance shouted, “Hundred-Captain Zhang, change tactics to hold them off!”

Zhang Wei replied, “Who gave the order?”

“Boss!”

Before the loud shout faded, hoofbeats arrived.

In the flickering firelight, Shan Zong rode his horse over, leaped down, and only a tall, blurred figure was visible. He drew his saber and swiftly dealt with two of the enemy soldiers in front of him, asking in a deep voice, “Where’s Changsun Xin?”

Changsun Xin hadn’t answered yet when Zhang Wei pointed with great joy, “He’s over there, Boss!”

Shan Zong strode over. “Gather your men and follow me immediately.”

Changsun Xin was stunned for a moment, then reacted and didn’t equivocate. He waved his hands to the left and right. “Go, go, go, quick!”

The officials from the Ministry of Works followed Changsun Xin, and Changsun Xin followed Shan Zong, until they reached the side of the mountain path.

Several soldiers quickly gathered around Shan Zong, leading horses for them.

Changsun Xin didn’t even have time to ask him about Chang’an. He hastily mounted his horse, covered in sweat.

Shan Zong mounted his horse, personally leading the escort. “Go!”

The horses of their group made slow progress out of the mountain in the darkness, moving unsteadily.

Shan Zong was on Changsun Xin’s left, almost riding parallel. Suddenly, he placed a hand on Changsun Xin’s back.

Changsun Xin suddenly lowered his head, almost touching the horse’s back, startled. When he looked up, he saw Shan Zong withdraw his hand and casually toss something he had pulled from his arm.

“What was that? Did you just save me?” He wasn’t sure if it was an arrow.

Shan Zong drew his saber and deliberately said, “You’re different now. It’s only right that I save you.”

Changsun Xin was so choked up by his words that he couldn’t speak, but since it was a life-saving grace, he could only endure it.

There was no time for them to talk; the horses had already left the mountain.

Shan Zong’s eyesight was exceptional; he surveyed his surroundings. Perhaps because he was injured, his voice was very low. “Don’t go back to Youzhou. Head towards Danzhou, or even further to Hedong to seek temporary refuge. Return only after things here are completely resolved.”

Changsun Xin was greatly alarmed, though it wasn’t visible in the dark night. “Is it really that serious?”

“Not serious,” Shan Zong didn’t elaborate. “Anyway, you’re going to be recalled to the capital, so just consider it getting a head start on your journey.”

Changsun Xin hadn’t even asked him how he knew when he was urged forward by the frightened officials.

Shan Zong ordered the soldiers to continue the escort. As he was about to leave, he added, “If you write back, don’t tell Shen Rong about the situation here. I’ll resolve it before she arrives.”

Changsun Xin looked back in astonishment, only to see Shan Zong’s figure galloping back into the mountains.

He actually said A-Rong would come again?