Er Gou clutched his wound and kicked the stove with his foot, "Come out!"
Hearing Er Gou's voice, Cheng Zimuo scrambled out. Before he could even feel any joy, the hellish scene before him made his face turn pale. He clutched his chest and gagged.
Ying Wu and Ying Liu looked at Er Gou and the Cook, then their gazes fell upon Cheng Zimuo. Their eyes were dark, and a chill instantly arose.
Er Gou's hair stood on end. Forgetting his wounds, he raised his hands to show he had no ill intentions and explained immediately, "Don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand. This is Cheng Chongyu's son, Cheng Zimuo. He came sniffing around, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, because he saw the official wanted posters for human traffickers."
"No!" Cheng Zimuo, fighting the nausea, looked up and retorted.
Er Gou's eyes widened, his entire face etched with shock, "You're not Cheng Zimuo?"
He instinctively picked up the saber from the ground.
Cheng Zimuo, startled, quickly shook his head, "I'm not... no, no, no, I am Cheng Zimuo, I am!"
Er Gou's face darkened, "Are you or are you not?"
"I am!"
Cheng Zimuo said, "What I mean is, I didn't stumble upon you like a blind cat finding a dead mouse. I followed the smell!"
Er Gou: "..."
What?
Cheng Zimuo said, "Stir-fried pork, did you make stir-fried pork at noon!"
The Cook looked up abruptly, "You smelled it?"
Cheng Zimuo nodded, "Yes, it was very fragrant!"
The Cook's eyes lit up. Before this, Cheng Zimuo was no different from meat on a chopping block in her eyes. Now, she finally saw him as a person.
Er Gou pulled the Cook back. He felt utterly unlucky today. Not only did he discover he had been hiding ineffectively all along, but his whereabouts were also exposed because of a plate of stir-fried pork at noon.
He knew what the Cook wanted to say, but it wasn't the time.
He looked at Cheng Zimuo and asked seriously, "Were you followed? Or did you tell anyone about our suspicion that we were hiding in Guangde Tower?"
Cheng Zimuo thought for a moment and said, "Followed... I'm not sure if I was followed, but at noon, when I smelled the food from Guangde Tower, the Magistrate of Wucheng County was beside me. I even asked him if he smelled the stir-fried pork, but he said he didn't, and didn't seem to take it seriously. However..."
Cheng Zimuo paused. He asked Er Gou, "Who exactly are you people?"
Perhaps he could have retreated safely before, but now... he lowered his head and looked at the blood seeping into his shoes. The scent of blood in the air was so thick it was like being thrown into a sea of blood. Although Cheng Zimuo had joined the Langhuan Army, the natural geographical location made it impossible for the Liao bandits to cross the Yu River to cause trouble. Therefore, until today, Cheng Zimuo had never truly experienced the brutality of the battlefield. Today, standing in the back kitchen of Guangde Tower, he witnessed for the first time what "bodies strewn everywhere" truly meant.
Over ten people. Standing, they might not seem like much, but lying on the ground, visually they became thousands upon thousands.
He needed to know who the people in front of him were, why they were wanted, and who these dead were. Cheng Zimuo feared death, but he did not want to become an accomplice to villains in a muddled state.
"Retainers, Feng Luan's retainers!"
Cheng Zimuo: "..."
Damn it!
So he was kidnapped by that bastard Feng Luan's lackeys?
...
The military camp was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Nan Shiying waited all night. The charcoal fire burned out, and the sun rose. The rustling of footsteps outside the tent signaled the dawn, yet the awaited events did not unfold.
Nan Shiying smiled, a smile cold and sinister.
Early that morning, Lin Xie received a secret order from the Regent, commanding him to release Feng Luan and his entourage immediately.
Lin Xie ordered the soldiers to open the cages and escort them out.
"General Lin, I will remember today's events. The road is slippery and dark. General, you must not be careless."
Hearing her undisguised threat, the soldiers of the Langhuan Army's teeth itched with anger, wishing they could hack her into a thousand pieces. How could anyone be so arrogant and overbearing?
Lin Xie sneered, "Young Master Feng should worry about himself. I shall return the same words to you, Young Master Feng."
Nan Shiying gave Lin Xie a deep look and swept away.
...
Wucheng Yamen.
Upon hearing of Nan Shiying's visit, the County Magistrate rushed out to greet her. Perhaps he was too eager, as the sesame paste at the corner of his mouth was not wiped clean. "Young Master Feng, Young Master Feng, you've returned. It's truly wonderful. Since you left, this subordinate and the County Magistrate have been so worried that we couldn't sleep. Now that I see you appear before me, whole and unharmed... this subordinate... this subordinate..."
The County Magistrate was about to weep.
The act was overdone and became displeasing.
"Enough. Where is Wang Xun?" Nan Shiying asked.
The County Magistrate's expression suddenly changed. He then gave a dry laugh, attempting to cover for Wang Xun, "The County Magistrate, the County Magistrate was busy all day yesterday, and now..."
"Enough!" Nan Shiying, tired of these lies, directly ordered concisely, "Issue a wanted order for the County Magistrate of Wucheng—Wang Xun!"
"What?"
The County Magistrate was startled, his face full of horror. His fawning demeanor vanished, and he stubbornly refused, "Young Master Feng, although you were sent by the Regent to investigate the mist on Changming Mountain, you are ultimately just a commoner. This subordinate respects you and calls you Lord, Young Master. If I didn't respect you, calling you a mere subject would not be an exaggeration."
"So... on what grounds do you command this official? On what grounds do you issue a wanted order for our County Magistrate?"
You dare!
The County Magistrate did not utter these words, but the contempt and mockery gushing from him were more than enough.
Nan Shiying looked at the County Magistrate and took out the token representing the Regent again. "This token was bestowed by the late Emperor, granting Jin Mo the authority to oversee the state. It allows him to admonish the sovereign and punish officials, with the power to execute first and report later, a special imperial prerogative. Seeing this token is akin to the late Emperor's personal presence."
"County Magistrate, seeing this token, do you not kneel?"
The County Magistrate stared blankly at the token in her hand. He had only thought it represented the Regent before, but he never expected the Regent to give her the token personally bestowed by the late Emperor.
Execute first, report later, special imperial prerogative.
This meant that even if she ordered his head to be chopped off right now, His Majesty would acknowledge the authority granted by the late Emperor due to filial piety, and he would be guiltless.
The County Magistrate bent his knees and knelt down decisively, offering Nan Shiying a ceremonial bow of a subject to a sovereign. "Your humble servant Yu Dabao pays respects to the late Emperor!"
"Issue a wanted order for Wang Xun!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"