Daming Yinghua

Chapter 462: Danger on the Riverbank

In Hetuala at the beginning of summer, soon after the sun sets, the heat of the day is dissipated by the gentle evening breeze.

At the hour of Xu, night travelers could still feel a slight chill even if they were wearing long gowns made of Ming cotton cloth.

Mu Zaohua said to Ji Lantai, "I'm going to discuss matters with Yuetuo," and walked out the door.

Ji Lantai now completely regarded Mu Zaohua as his master, and with the dream of marrying Xia Wenming, he naturally served Mu Zaohua even more wholeheartedly.

Because of his betrayal to Mu Zaohua over the matter of Tong Xiyu, the male servant Zhakeshan had already been driven to the Huerha area to do hard labor. Mu Zaohua did not ask the Niulu Ezhen of her own banner for a male bondmaid, on the grounds that she would soon marry Mr. Xia to Jilantai.

So when Jilantai brought the robe, he said naturally, "I will drive the carriage to see my master off."

Mu Zaohua refused: "Didn't you hear who I said I was going to see? I'm going to see Yuetuo Beile."

"Oh..." Jilantai immediately realized his stupidity.

Yes, since Master Mu has gained the complete trust of the Khan and will follow Beile Yuetuo into the war, the two of them naturally feel that the marriage is a done deal, and now they are like dry wood and raging fire. They want to meet in private several times before setting out on the march, and they don't want their servants to know.

Ji Lantai was a married young widow, and she couldn't help but smile knowingly.

Since they were in their own courtyard, Mu Zaohua also dropped her dignified demeanor and said angrily, "You slave, wait a few days before you get horny. Today, I will go and tell Beile about Mr. Xia coming into our house."

After saying this, he took the robe, mounted his horse, and hurried away from home.

The thick darkness concealed her suddenly serious expression.

Before that familiar feeling came roaring over her, Mu Zaohua was about to leave the city.

Even though the soldiers guarding the city recognized her, they routinely questioned her: "Master Ezhen, where are you going so late at night?"

"Go to the crossbow field." Mu Zaohua tried her best to steady her breath and answered briefly with official authority.

With the war imminent, the armor field and the crossbow field worked all night. The military equipment, like food and fodder, were all dispatched by the Ministry of Revenue. The city guards did not dare to ask too many questions and respectfully sent Zaohua Ezhen out of the city.

Most smelting sites are close to water sources, including those of the Tatars.

After Mu Zaohua realized that her figure had disappeared into the darkness, she immediately ran towards the Suzi River. She couldn't fall down halfway.

Finally, the sound of the rushing river became closer and clearer.

Mu Zaohua's smoking addiction also started to act up.

From dizziness to shortness of breath, tears and snot came out, and it felt like ants were crawling on the skin.

Mu Zaohua stumbled off the horse and plunged into the shallows of the Suzi River without hesitation.

The river water instantly soaked her body, stimulating her to shiver, but she still felt it was not cold enough.

She placed her hands between the pebbles and tilted her head toward the grass, ensuring that she could breathe while keeping her body from the back covered by the cold water.

Mu Zaohua did not blame Mrs. Zheng. It was she who chose to abandon the mandarin duck pot-like pipe that Xu San brought her, and abandoned the method of smoking what seemed like smoking crow paste but was actually tobacco.

At the beginning of this spring, when Manggurtai's drug addiction became more severe than ever and could no longer be concealed, Mu Zaohua was ready. Nurhaci and Huang Taiji, who had sensed something was wrong, or even Manggurtai's first wife, might test her.

Whether it was Daishan who was far away in Huining, or Degelei and several other beile who were nearby in the same city, the magic crow cream that Mu Zaohua gave them was far less refined than that given to Manggurtai. Moreover, Mu Zaohua used the reason that the magic cream was precious and rare to hold back the number of them, so their addiction to smoking had not yet reached the point where it was out of control.

But in Manggurtai's mansion, after Mu Zaohua and Manggurtai smoked together several times, she felt firsthand the power of this poison, which her wife said was more terrifying than swords and firearms.

At the end of March, she left Hetuala with Axue on the pretext of going to Yizhou to contact Japanese copper dealers and spy on the situation of the Ming army. On the way, when she felt the urge to smoke, she asked Axue to tie her hands and feet. After nearly a month of going back and forth, Mu Zaohua felt that the clutches of the magic crow paste seemed to be gradually moving away.

However, when Nurhaci summoned Daishan, Mu Zaohua started smoking again.

She had to quit smoking before going to the war. She had to follow Yuetuo's Wuzhen Chaoha artillery team and the Ming army disguised as Korean musketeers to Kaiyuan Tieling.

This time, not only could Mu Zaohua not rely on Axue for help, she even had to hide from Jilantai, the Tartar maid who didn't know her master's true identity.

The water of Suzi River under the moonlight both tortures and saves the woman in pain.

In the grass not far away, where the moonlight could not reach, a pair of eyes were staring at the Mu Zaohua twisting in the shallow water.

Finally, the owner of the eyes, a young Han man in Baoyi, opened his eyes wide, stood up and walked towards the riverbank.

Less than half an incense stick ago, Zhang Da, who had been highly regarded by Manggurtai for the past two years, took the white armor from the armor workshop exclusively for nobles above the rank of Jiala Ezhen of the Zhenglan Banner outside the city. He prepared to return to the mansion and deliver it to Manggurtai's eldest son Ebilun early the next morning.

A city soldier's casual remark, "Zaohua Ezhen of your Zhenglan Banner has just ridden his horse out of the city to the crossbow field," changed Zhang Da's plan.

He ordered the other two followers to take the armor back home first, while he himself had to return to the workshop outside the city to explain something.

On the bank of the Suzi River, which was still a long way away from the crossbow field, the lonely silhouette of the horse under the moonlight attracted Zhang Da, who was sniffing for it like a hyena, to move over decisively to find out what was going on.

Even though the wailing was suppressed into a groan, Zhang Da still crawled down and soon confirmed that the person who was going crazy in the water was Mu Zaohua.

That evil woman who was also a Han Chinese like him, but who beat him without mercy and left him covered in bruises.

Zhang Da, who worked as a male servant in Manggurtai's mansion, had Huang Taiji as his real master.

At this moment, Zhang Da's chest was filled with excitement, like a hawk or dog eager to bring back prey for his master.

The tattered hemp shoes stepped on the wet cobblestones, and a malicious voice sounded: "Master Ezhen, what's wrong with you?"

Mu Zaohua's mind was as blurred as fog in the struggle between her conscience and her conscience. Even though she was startled a little by the sudden appearance of the man, it took her a moment to realize that the man was Zhang Da.

Immediately, in an instant, she couldn't help but cry for help: "Give me the magic crow ointment, give me..."

"Magic Crow Cream?" Zhang Da squatted down and said in a vulgar tone, "Lord Zaohua, how can I have such precious things that only the princes can eat. Forget about the magical crow cream. When my mother was dying, I begged you to have mercy and give me a few pieces of opium shells. Didn't you also use the whip to let me know that I was 'unworthy'?"

Mu Zaohua was shivering in the river, repeating "divine crow ointment" in her mouth.

Zhang stared at her.

After taking advantage of him verbally and venting his anger, the servant, who had developed a cunning mind while serving as Huang Taiji's spy, felt something was fishy.

Wasn't she going to the crossbow field? Why did she come to Suzi River alone, as if she was avoiding people?

She has been in Hetuala for more than three years. Why did she suddenly look the same as when the Third Prince made a fuss about the divine crow cream in the mansion?

Zhang Da quickly made a decision that he would send her to Huang Taiji.

He reached out and grabbed Mu Zaohua's wet shoulders.

"Master Ezhen, I will take you back to the house right now. There is the magic crow ointment there."