Xie Ming

In Huzhou, Guanxi, I met an old friend. Xiao Huai was filled with anxiety and thought of Yu Zhen.

This boy is none other than Xiao Chunzi, the former head eunuch of the Rouyi Hall in the Nanjing Imperial Palace.

Currently, he is alone and in a sorry state, mingling among displaced people and refugees.

This encounter filled Xiao Jingchuan with alarm, fearing that something terrible had happened to Yuzhen.

After a brief moment of thought, Xiao became extremely anxious, his brows furrowed in urgency. He spurred his horse and galloped toward the man.

Unfortunately, the area in front of the pass is currently crowded with a large number of disaster victims and refugees, all crowding together.

Xiao Ju had barely taken a few steps when he was caught up in the chaos. Left with no other choice, Xiao Ju could not bear to rebuke these suffering people and ordered them to crack their whips.

With no other option, Ye had to jump off his horse from the crowd and lead it away.

Afterwards, Yue Xiu, Sangmenxing, and others, who were not far away, rushed to the scene. Seeing the displaced people and the crowd of people, they realized that there were thieves and villains in the area and that Xiao was in danger.

It was still Yue Xiu who was cunning; with a glance, he fixed his gaze on the Duke's position and passed the message to the jinx on the side.

"Eh? The Duke, he..."

"Oh dear, why did he dismount and squeeze into the crowd?"

"The displaced people are in disarray; beware of traps."

Upon hearing this, Bian Zai, feeling that this situation was inappropriate, frowned and looked over at Yue Xiuma's whip.

Without further ado, the man spurred his horse and led his cavalry forward to provide support.

"Go, come with me!"

Following the jinx sent by him, a troop of cavalrymen quickly broke through, and the rioters scattered to avoid the soldiers, parting the crowd to the left and right to create a path.

Of course, Xiao Jingchuan, who was still ahead, had no time to think about things from a different perspective; he was focused on getting closer to Xiao Chunzi.

With great difficulty, the man pulled the horse and struggled to squeeze into the pile of refugees, moving forward until he reached Xiaochunzi's back.

He immediately hooked his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Little Haruko!"

At the casual call, the little eunuch shuddered, turned around in fear and trepidation, and turned his face away.

The moment her gaze settled on Xiao Lang, the shock and dejection in her eyes vanished instantly.

He had been in a state of utter despair, like a walking corpse, but in this instant, it was as if he had been brought back to life.

His eyes were glistening with tears, and he cried out, "Your Excellency, Duke!" He then threw down his walking stick and knelt down with a thud.

At this moment, overwhelmed with grievances, he seemed to have finally found a lifeline, and his eyes shone with hope.

With this kneel, the little eunuch, despite his tattered clothes and numerous injuries, grabbed Xiao Lang and embraced him.

He cried loudly, but his mind was only clouded, and he was just venting his emotions.

But Xiao Lang was eager to ask about something.

After a long while, Xiao Jingchuan finally managed to untie the person from below, and then quickly lifted him up and asked him questions.

"Okay, okay!"

"Don't cry."

"Xiao Chunzi, I have a question for you, where is Yuzhen, uh, Hui, Consort Hui?"

"How did you end up like this?"

"But what happened to her? Huh?!"

Xiao asked anxiously, but Xiao Chunzi was too slow to react and was still dazed and whimpering.

"Okay, that's enough!"

"Speak up! Hurry up and tell me!"

Xiao was furious. He grabbed the man's arm with both hands and shook him violently.

It was only after this sudden stimulation that Xiaochunzi snapped out of her daze.

"what"

"Yes, yes, Consort Hui, Consort Hui, she, she..."

Xiaochunzi spoke slowly and anxiously, and suddenly stuttered again.

"How is she?"

"Speak! Say something!" Xiao's eyes widened, his expression one of rare fear and disarray.

"Oh no, I'm lost."

"It was on a desolate plot of land in the southwest of Yuhang. The carriages had just stopped at night, so that the Empress could rest."

"But, but we hadn't even warmed our seats yet when two rows of torches appeared from the north, like long snakes, heading this way."

"I'm afraid it's some Jurchen barbarian who's been running amok. He saw the fire here and came to kill us."

"In a hurry, the younger brother and Xiao Huang and the others quickly set off."

"But it's pitch black, where can we escape to? There's nothing to hide behind."

"In order to allow the Empress and the others to escape, Xiao Huang and I, along with three or four eunuchs, took out a few gun barrels and fired them to lure the Tartar soldiers away."

"Whoosh—" "Their horses are way too fast."

"Taking advantage of the chaos, the ladies fled to the mountains to the west."

"We didn't get far before the Tartars caught up with us."

"They're all... they're all dead."

"If I hadn't been lucky, I would have fallen into the ditch in the dark and passed out, and they wouldn't have seen me clearly."

"Now, I've lost my life and will never see you again, Your Excellency!"

"Woo."

Xiao Chunzi told the whole story.

That's it, and then it starts whining again.

Hearing this, Xiao Lang felt a little relieved and let out a sigh of relief.

Then he heard the sound of horses' hooves behind him, and Xiao Jingchuan turned around to look.

Seeing that the jinx and others had followed without knowing the reason, Dan quickly turned his mind around and hurriedly went to ask them again.

"Don't cry!"

"Xiao Chunzi, do you remember where Consort Hui has run off to?" Xiao Xun asked.

"Ah, yes, I know."

Having escaped death, I decided to go find it.

"But after one night, the ground was a mess, and the cart tracks were so scrambled by the refugees that they could no longer be identified."

"It's roughly in the direction of Tianmu Mountain."

I originally intended to go south to Hangzhou to seek help.

"But before I left, a fellow villager from the north caught up with me and said that your army, Lord Duke, has already reached Huzhou."

"I figured that even if we got to Hangzhou, those civil officials who weren't related to me would definitely not put in any effort."

"Now that your army has arrived, heading north is the right course of action."

"Heaven has eyes, Heaven has eyes!"

"We've really run into a real Buddha here in Huzhou."

"My lord, I beg you."

"Quickly, quickly lead the troops to rescue Consort Hui!"

"Any later and it might be too late!"

Xiaochunzi is fiercely protective of her master and is also extremely quick-witted.

After recounting all his grievances, his face flushed red with anxiety, and finally, he slipped away and even knelt down to beg for mercy.

Upon hearing this, how could Xiao not be anxious?

At the same time, before Xiao Chunzi could even kneel down, he grabbed him and quickly pulled the little eunuch to his feet.

"Good, good lad!"

"Yuzhen didn't misjudge him."

"Come on, can we still ride horses?"

"Take me there now." Xiao Lang patted his shoulder again.

As soon as Xiao Chunzi thought of her mistress, Consort Hui, she became even more alert.

Upon hearing the Duke's words, and with the mention of Xue Yong, he readily agreed.

"can!"

"The Empress treats me well. Even though this leg is ruined, she hasn't complained."

"Lord Duke, let's go, let's set off now."

After speaking, Xiaochunzi straightened her back again, revealing that her lame ankle was already deformed, drooping at a frightening angle.

However, it was a matter of expediency, and there was no time to concern ourselves with such trivial details.

Without further delay.

Xiao Ming was concerned about Yu Zhen's safety and didn't have time to mince words.

Suddenly, he grabbed Xiao Chunzi's waist trousers with his large hand, twisted his waist and exerted force, lifting the little eunuch onto his white horse behind him.

He glanced at Yue Xiu, Sangmenxing, and the rest of the cavalry approaching behind him, and took a long, deep breath.

"Yuzhen, you absolutely cannot get hurt."

"I'll be right there."

"God, this time, I, Xiao Jingchuan, am begging you."

"Just protect Yuzhen, please. Just think of it as pity for me, pity for Xiao Jingchuan, okay?!"

Xiao pondered silently, his mind a jumble of thoughts. (End of Chapter)