HMHSE - 86

“What were you just talking to her about?”

Shen Rong turned her head away from the carriage and met Shan Zong, who was walking over.

As he spoke, he glanced at Zhao Fumei, who was in front of them.

There, Zhao Fumei had said something to Zhou Jun and seemed to have made up her mind to go back with him. They could hear Zhao Jinkam arranging the carriage for them nearby.

Shen Rong’s eyes flickered. “Just casually chatting.”

Shan Zong quirked the corner of his mouth. “You kept looking at me while you were talking. I thought you were talking about me.”

“Who was looking at you?” she said softly.

Shan Zong glanced around and saw no one. He walked closer and whispered, “You’re still so energetic. It seems you’re fine now that I’ve been sleeping in the guest room for days.”

Shen Rong’s eyes shot up and stared at him. She saw the roguish look on his face, bit her lip, and felt uncomfortable with his bluntness. She simply lifted her clothes and got into the carriage first.

Shan Zong watched her from the side of the carriage, a faint smile on his face. He led his horse and mounted it.

She lowered the curtain to block his face.

It was precisely because he had already gotten his way that she didn’t want to let him gloat.

He was asking for too much.

The carriage left the city, continuing to see off the Danzhou army.

The Danzhou army all left Youzhou city and headed straight for the border.

Zhou Jun, on his horse, saluted Zhao Jinkam, who was still standing at the city gate in the distance. He turned and watched the carriage carrying Zhao Fumei pass by.

She was just sitting in the carriage and didn’t show her face.

Only after her carriage left with the Danzhou army did he stop and look back at Shan Zong, who was seeing them off from a distance.

Shan Zong tugged on his horse’s reins and rode over unhurriedly. “Anything else to say?”

Zhou Jun’s eyes were grim. “After that battle, wasn’t your Lulong Army supposed to be incorporated and reorganized into the Youzhou army? Why does Youzhou only have this much military strength, and what’s with that Pang Lu?”

Shan Zong’s face was expressionless, and his voice was very low. “Which battle?”

Zhou Jun’s face was habitually grim, appearing slightly pale and unwell. After a long time, he said, “No battle in particular. I must have misremembered.” His face became even grimmer, and he rode away.

Shan Zong turned his horse around and rode to the side of the carriage. Shen Rong was lifting the curtain and looking at him. “What did you two talk about?”

He mimicked her earlier behavior. “Just a casual chat.”

Shen Rong knew he was doing it on purpose and silently rolled her eyes at him.

Shan Zong was amused and changed the subject, glancing at the departing Zhou Jun.

________________________________________

The carriage was about to return to the city when a troop of soldiers hurried over from a distance.

“Chief, we’ve captured a few more escaped prisoners from the dungeon,” said Lei Da, the centurion leading them.

Shan Zong rode his horse over, his eyes sweeping across them. “Hurry up and catch the rest.”

Lei Da saluted and left in a hurry.

Shen Rong lifted the carriage curtain and remembered. It was about the enemy vanguard’s attack on Youzhou Prison that day. No wonder Youzhou was still under martial law. It was probably to hunt them down.

“I heard that Liu Heton, who was banished to Youzhou Prison, is also missing?”

Shan Zong looked over. “He’s not a threat. The prison guards said he might have been taken by the enemy soldiers. A few others are still at large. They are probably a hidden move that Sun Guozhe left for me.”

Shen Rong couldn’t help but frown. Youzhou Prison housed some of the remaining prisoners from the riots who all harbored hatred for Shan Zong.

If that were true, then this Sun Guozhe was too cunning. He was already thinking of leaving a hidden move even in the middle of a battle.

She thought for a moment. “I remember there was a precedent in the court of granting the surnames ‘Li’ and ‘Sun’ to the surrendered Khitan tribes. Could he have been granted a surname?”

Shan Zong gave a faint “hmm.” “The royal family of the surrendered Khitan tribes were granted the imperial surname ‘Li,’ and the nobles were granted the surname ‘Sun.’ He was a Khitan noble and had indeed surrendered before. He knows a lot about the Central Plains, especially Youzhou.”

Just as he finished speaking, Shan Zong was about to pull the reins to continue when his expression suddenly turned cold.

With a sharp whistle, the horses pulling the carriage suddenly reared up and neighed, two sharp arrows having hit their backs.

It all happened in a flash. Shen Rong had just lowered the curtain when the horses reared, the curtain swayed, and the guards driving the carriage, along with Zirui, were thrown off. A panicked scream, and the carriage was off, pulled by the horses that were running wildly.

She fell backward, barely holding onto the carriage, and heard Shan Zong’s angry shout from outside, “Get them!”

Lei Da, who hadn’t gone far, shouted from over there, “The rest of them are showing themselves! Chase them!”

The curtain swayed, and she could even see the panicked figures of Zhao Jinkam and the others chasing a few steps from under the city gate.

Several fast horses were chasing the carriage from outside, but she couldn’t distinguish who was who.

Shen Rong tried to steady herself and lifted the curtain. Sure enough, there was no one driving the carriage.

They had just been talking about Sun Guozhe’s hidden move, and it had already come to pass.

She leaned out as much as she could and heard Shan Zong shouting, “Stay steady!”

The horses were running like flying, rushing down a slope, almost overturning. It was too bumpy to stay steady.

Shen Rong leaned out several times, trying to pull the reins over and over again.

Finally, she saw Shan Zong’s figure on a fast horse, right behind her. He was as fast as the wind, his body low, coming towards her like an arrow.

The road was too bumpy. She grabbed the reins, but it was still difficult to pull them. Her palms were already hurting. From the corner of her eye, she saw that they were almost at the bottom of the mountain, where there were ravines everywhere and a faint white light in the distance.

Based on her knowledge of the surrounding terrain, she remembered that there was a river there and tried to pull the reins in that direction.

“Young Mistress, be careful!” It was Donglai’s voice. He was also chasing from behind.

However, once a carriage pulled by multiple horses loses control, its speed is astonishingly fast and difficult to catch up to.

Shan Zong was in hot pursuit from behind. He saw her leaning out of the carriage, pulling on the reins. He urged his horse with a squeeze of his legs. It sped up even more, getting closer to the carriage.

The next moment, Shen Rong had pulled the reins and was almost at the river.

Shan Zong immediately reached out his hand. “Come here!”

Shen Rong reached out one hand, trying to grab his, but she couldn’t reach him.

He gritted his teeth. “Jump!”

Shen Rong was stunned for a moment. She saw the cold look in his eyes as he galloped towards her. She steeled herself, closed her eyes, and jumped out.

With a loud crash, the carriage overturned in the ravine.

“Donglai, steady the horses!” It was Shan Zong’s voice.

He almost jumped off his horse directly and rushed into the water without stopping.

Shen Rong’s head emerged from the water. She took a deep breath and was immediately caught by a pair of arms that pulled her to the side, away from the frantic horses.

There were a few splashes in the water beside her. Donglai, who had arrived on a fast horse, jumped into the water and brought his men to steady the horses that were still struggling against the sinking carriage.

Shen Rong’s heart was pounding. She saw Shan Zong’s face right in front of her.

He was soaked from the waist down. He helped her up, his arm wrapped tightly around her. “It’s over.”

Shen Rong nodded, still out of breath. The wind blew, and her body felt cold.

Shan Zong’s horse, being a warhorse, was well-trained and was standing by, pawing at the ground.

He walked over, led the horse, wrung out the hem of his soaked clothes, and lifted Shen Rong onto the horse. He then mounted it and rode straight back to the city.

“Did you deliberately steer towards the river?” he asked, out of breath, on the way.

Shen Rong’s breath was still uneven as she gave a faint “hmm.” “It was the only place I could jump.”

Shan Zong actually laughed. “That’s so like you.”

Only she would have that kind of guts.

Despite this, he tightened his arm around her as he spoke.

At the city gate, Zhao Jinkam and the others who had been seeing them off were still waiting. They were relieved when they saw them return.

“Lord Chong, don’t worry. The men have been caught. They were hiding around the city gate. They probably knew the Danzhou army was leaving today and were waiting for an opportunity. I’ve already ordered them to be taken to the dungeon.”

Shan Zong just nodded, his face ashen. Those escaped convicts wouldn’t get away.

“Continue the martial law! Don’t stop searching until they’re all caught!”

Hearing his military order, the soldiers around them shouted their assent.

He took the cloak from Zirui, who had run over, and wrapped it tightly around Shen Rong.

Shen Rong, curled up in his arms, knew she looked disheveled but still held her composure. “Don’t worry, Governor. It was a false alarm.”

Zhao Jinkam deliberately didn’t look at her too much and gestured with his hand. “Please return to the residence quickly.”

He thought to himself that she was truly worthy of being the person Lord Chong admired. Only she could remain so calm even after such a close call.

________________________________________

Back at the official residence, it was already getting dark.

Shen Rong only felt a sense of relief after entering the main gate.

Shan Zong dismounted and led her inside.

Without stopping, he headed straight for the main house.

Guangyuan jogged over from the corridor, holding something. He was stunned when he saw their condition and forgot why he had come.

Shan Zong stopped for a moment. “What are you holding?”

Guangyuan came to his senses and handed him the item. “It’s a letter for the madam. The letter to her family that the madam asked to be sent has been delivered. The person who brought the letter back said it was handed over halfway.”

Shen Rong’s unsteady breathing paused. “What? Halfway?”

Guangyuan bowed with his hands and said yes, while standing to the side, seeing that her clothes under the cloak were wet, to shield her from the wind. “I heard they ran into the Duke and his party halfway.”

Shen Rong was startled. “My father is here?”

“Y-yes, it seems so,” Guangyuan said, a little flustered for some reason, perhaps because of her tone, or perhaps because of the state of the two people in front of him. “I heard that the Duke was riding a fast horse to get here and is almost at Hedong. Because Youzhou is currently under martial law, he has slowed down his journey and will probably stop at Hedong for a few days. He received the madam’s letter and sent a message back.”

Shen Rong’s brows furrowed. She wanted to ask more questions but saw Guangyuan look up, glance behind her, and then bow and withdraw.

She looked over. Shan Zong’s tall and straight figure was standing there. In the dim light of the corridor, his jet-black eyes were fixed on her.

“I didn’t expect this,” he said.

It was probably because the martial law had not been lifted after the war. Otherwise, the Duke of Zhao would not have sent a letter but would have come directly.

He pulled her closer with his arm and walked with her into the inner courtyard.

Shen Rong said as they walked, “We can’t let my father come like this.” Her voice was still trembling slightly from the cold.

Shan Zong had long legs and took big steps. She was being held by him and couldn’t keep up. She was cold, and her fast pace made her pant in short, quick breaths.

But her mind was racing. Letting her father enter Youzhou and be told that she was married to him without any preparation would not be a good thing.

“Just seeing me in this state will make him worry a lot.”

Not to mention everything else that had happened in Youzhou.

She knew her father had come because of the war.

Shan Zong wrapped her cloak even tighter around her. “Then what do you want to do?”

“I’ll go to Hedong to see him personally tomorrow,” Shen Rong said.

He stopped. “You want to get to him first?”

“Yes, I have to go.” Shen Rong gripped the collar of her cloak. After thinking it over, this was the only way.