Chapter 99
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The Crown Prince continued his journey through the night. When he was about two hundred miles from the battlefield, he unexpectedly saw a familiar face. They passed each other as they rode on horseback.
“Xue Yao?” The Crown Prince pulled the reins, turned to look, and saw a figure resembling Xue Yao. Like a falling leaf about to wither, he swayed on the horse.
“Xue Yao!” the Crown Prince shouted towards the retreating figure.
Instead of stopping, the figure, filled with fear, straightened up and accelerated on the horse, attempting to escape his gaze.
“Halt!” The Crown Prince, eager to learn about the frontline situation, turned without hesitation and chased after.
His equestrian skill surpassed that of Xue Yao, effortlessly keeping pace with him. He shouted, “Xue Yao! I command you to halt immediately!”
After a day and night of relentless travel without a drop of water, Xue Yao, now mentally foggy, only sensed someone calling his name, urging him to stop.
Thinking that pursuers were catching up, Xue Yao, terrified, urged the horse faster, intending to escape and return to the capital to seek reinforcements from the Second Prince.
Frowning, the Crown Prince urgently shouted, “Can you hear me?”
After he uttered those words, he saw Xue Yao swaying, almost unconscious. It seemed he was about to fall from the horse. Such a fall could result in either death or severe injury.
“Xue Yao!” In his urgency, the Crown Prince propped up on the horse’s back, leaped, and landed behind Xue Yao. He wrapped his arms around him, preventing him from falling off the horse, pulled the reins, and then whistled to stop his own horse.
“What’s going on?” The Crown Prince pulled Xue Yao down from the horse by the waist.
Xue Yao, in a frenzied state, struggled desperately, wielding a knife. However, the Crown Prince pressed down on him wrist, forcing him to the ground. “Xue Yao! Can’t you recognize me?!”
Pinned to the ground, Xue Yao couldn’t move, only his chest heaving intensely.
In this close gaze, his blurred eyes cleared, seeing the Crown Prince’s features.
The Crown Prince noticed a drastic shift in Xue Yao’s fierce and frenzied expression, now replaced by extreme sorrow. Xue Yao stared at him, mouth agape, emitting a hoarse and choked sound from her throat.
“Alright, it’s over now.” The Crown Prince released his grip on his wrist and helped him up. “Where were you going? Why do you look so pale?”
“Your Highness… Where did you go? Why are you only returning now? Why now!”
The Crown Prince led Xue Yao off the official road, allowing him to drink some water before explaining the situation.
Learning that Father Emperor’s life hung in the balance, Fifth Brother became a hostage, and the fate of Seventh Brother was uncertain, the Crown Prince solidified into a statue of despair.
Xue Yao knew he needed some time to digest such a significant upheaval, but time was pressing. He reminded him in a hushed tone, “Your Highness, you can’t just go back like this. The entire army is under the control of the Third Prince. It would be best if you could summon reinforcements.”
The Crown Prince remained silent, closed his eyes for a long moment, then said in a low, hoarse voice, “I must bear the blame, even at the cost of my life.”
“Your Highness, the Emperor falling into a trap was unexpected. Your staying behind wouldn’t change the outcome. The real problem now is the Third Prince’s ambition. If you die, the Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince are truly beyond salvation!” After speaking, Xue Yao coughed, quickly took a sip of water to suppress the cough, and continued, “We need to go back and muster troops. You can’t rush to the front lines alone!”
The Crown Prince opened his eyes, speaking softly, “You don’t need to hurry. Get off the official road, find a tavern, and rest well. I’ll handle the front lines alone.”
“Your Highness! How can you handle three armies alone?” Xue Yao’s face was full of horror.
The Crown Prince raised his hand to reassure him, “Father Emperor has temporarily appointed a new heir, but has not deposed me. Second Brother has urgently informed the Governor-General of Huguang to bring reinforcements. The Forbidden Army are under my command. The only one that Third Brother can rely on is his uncle, Tong Ningzhao. I have the support of the seven governor-generals, and the Forbidden Army is working with me from within. The northwest governor-general has lost his nerve and dare not continue to help the tyrant.”
•••
The Seventh Prince signed a contract with the five merchants.
The merchants would send him back to the capital for a total of 2500 taels of silver as compensation.
To the Seventh Prince, 2500 taels of silver didn’t seem like much. A set of headpieces rewarded by Father Emperor to Mother Consort was worth more than this.
The merchants provided a timely assistance, worth the 2500 taels of silver reward.
Among the five, the one who spoke most amiably had a goatee. Throughout the journey, he kept asking the Seventh Prince, “Is Young Master hungry? I have some cured meat here, only for two taels of silver per pound. It’s more filling than grass carp!”
The Seventh Prince felt a bit intrigued.
The man who had just tried to beat the Seventh Prince had the most explosive temper. Everyone called him Liu Sanhu.
He disapproved of the leader and the goatee man calling the boy “Young Master” and felt there was no need to be so polite to this unfortunate young lord.
Looking at this young master with delicate skin, his family must consider him a treasure. They would naturally pay to ransom him, so why should they act so subserviently?
Rich people usually bossed them around, didn’t they?
In their own territory, why should they still bow and scrape to these wealthy folks?
Liu Sanhu asked the Seventh Prince with a hint of impatience, “Kid, what’s your name?”
The Seventh Prince had grown accustomed to his rude attitude and felt that this might be the casual way people interacted among commoners.
Father Emperor said even in royal settings, one should know how to enjoy life with the people. So, the Seventh Prince suppressed his irritation and answered reluctantly, “Old Seventh.”
“Who the hell asked for your birth order!” Liu Sanhu laughed. “I asked for your name, understand?”
The Seventh Prince turned his head, gazing intently at him.
Liu Sanhu, under the child’s piercing gaze, suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He inexplicably halted his mockery, awkwardly cleared his throat, and regained composure. Worried that his comrades might notice he was momentarily stunned by a child, he suddenly erupted in anger, berating even more impolitely, “What are you staring at! I asked for your name!”
“Lu Qian,” the Seventh Prince replied in a low voice.
“Lu Qian? What a good name! Fits the person!” The goatee man joyfully embraced the boy’s shoulders. “Your family must be a wealthy one from the capital, right? Your father isn’t an official, is he?”
“No.”
“That’s good then.” The goatee man chuckled. “If he were an official, we wouldn’t dare ask your old man for money, hahahaha!”
This group of merchants took the waterway mountain route, which, though more circuitous than the official road, ensured they wouldn’t be caught by the Third Prince’s pursuers.
The Seventh Prince calculated the time it would take to exit the Western Orchid Desert and decided to buy cured meat and water from the goatee man every three days. As long as he left the desert, hunting and wild fruits would sustain him.
The next day, the group spent the night in a makeshift shelter in a cave.
In the middle of the night, the Seventh Prince felt someone sitting up beside him, climbing over and staring at him.
The Seventh Prince, not particularly guarded, didn’t think the other person would harm him. Still, because he wasn’t accustomed to initiating conversations, he remained motionless, waiting for the other to speak first.
Assuming he was asleep, the person immediately signaled the other brothers with a subtle hiss.
“How much money does he still have in his pockets?” It was Liu Sanhu’s voice.
“At least seven or eight bills, and not fifty taels each. I saw one with a hundred taels!” It was the goatee man’s voice.
“I’ll just feel them and count!” Liu Sanhu said.
“Hold on,” the leader said, “He probably doesn’t have more than a few hundred taels. Don’t harbor such thoughts. We can’t annoy the kid. The 2500 taels reward is the main thing.”
Liu Sanhu urgently said, “What’s the harm in annoying him! Can his parents abandon him? Annoy him, and he’ll still send money to ransom himself!”
“Sending him back is an act of kindness. Stirring trouble wouldn’t sound good. There are influential people in the capital. Who knows what background his parents have? Annoy this kid, and he might report us to the authorities. It’s better not to cause unnecessary problems.”
The goatee man suggested, “Master Hu, don’t be impatient. How about this, we take a detour through the desert, delay a few more days, earn all his silver bills, and then lead him to an inn. By then, he’ll rely on us for food and drink, with no one pressuring him. He’ll even owe us a favor!”
The other two men immediately chuckled under their breath. “Old Ke’s mind is sharp!”
The Seventh Prince’s dark little face hid in the silent night.
This night, he suddenly didn’t like commoners at all.
Early the next morning, the five merchants, with their carts, prepared to trek through the desert as planned.
The Seventh Prince pulled out silver bills, took out two hundred and fifty taels, and handed them to the goatee man. “Buy ten pounds of cured meat and three bags of water.”
The goatee man’s eyes lit up. He had expected them to walk a few more steps before the young master couldn’t resist hunger, but unexpectedly, early in the morning, a lucrative deal arrived like an auspicious start!
He couldn’t help but joyfully unload a package from his own cart, carrying ten pounds of cured meat, handing it to the Seventh Prince. “This is all the meat I have left. I actually didn’t want to sell it, but I can’t let a little kid like you go hungry.”
The Seventh Prince remained silent, lifted the cured meat, and respectfully bowed to the five merchants. “Farewell, gentlemen.”
The five men were suddenly dumbfounded. When they came to their senses, the young master had already shouldered the meat and water bags, walking toward the east.
How strange! This kid actually knew the direction!
“Stop!” Liu Sanhu erupted in anger and quickly caught up.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he shouted, the child turned expressionless, staring at him with a look that said, “If you have something to say, spit it out.”
The leader hurriedly caught up, stopping Liu Sanhu, and smiling at the boy. “Younger Brother, why do you suddenly want to go on your own? We agreed to escort you back to the capital.”
“No need.” Lu Qian raised his hand, displaying the cured meat and water bags. “These are your grandpa’s escorts.”
Liu Sanhu was about to explode, but was stopped by the leader. The leader, still wearing a friendly expression, said, “This would be breaking our agreement. Younger Brother, in the desert, food and water are life-saving things. We’re willing to sell them to you because you signed a contract with us. Now that you’ve taken them and want to leave, does the contract not count?”
Lu Qian, expressionless, said, “The silver will be left at the gates of the capital. You won’t be shortchanged.”
The goatee man hurriedly caught up and said anxiously, “Words without evidence! The capital is so big, where will we find you? No way! Give back the cured meat and water! I won’t sell them!”
With a muffled thud, Lu Qian tossed the food at his feet, gaze fixed on the five people before him, slowly and deliberately unsheathing the long knife at his side.
Liu Sanhu sneered. “What? You still want to throw a punch? Damn, a greenhorn not fearing the tiger! If you don’t drink an offered toast, you’ll have to pay by drinking the penalty toast! If I don’t beat you until you call me grandpa today, then my surname is not Liu.”
“Stop!” The leader had someone pull Liu Sanhu back, and approached the boy with gentleness. “Younger Brother, don’t get angry. We really meant well. To be blunt, if we hadn’t given you water and a fish yesterday, you’d probably be dead of thirst and hunger in this desert by now! We crossed paths by chance and saved your life. Asking for money is just a small favor. We shouldn’t turn against each other, right?”
Lu Qian didn’t answer, his gaze coldly fixed on the leader.
He was naturally devoid of emotional logic. All his actions were directed by purpose. Ironically, the little reader-in-waiting who had raised him had a personality guided by emotions.
Over the years, Lu Qian had consciously or unconsciously attempted to understand and memorize other people’s emotional logic. This helped his actions earn praise from the little reader-in-waiting, and when Yaoyao was happy, he would personally feed Lu Qian.
Lu Qian enjoyed that feeling, but it didn’t mean he could understand and execute certain things from an emotional perspective.
In his world, there was no logic considering social niceties. If these five people hadn’t agreed to trade fish and water with him yesterday, he would have taken them by force, not succumbed to thirst and hunger in the desert.
The leader’s words, in his perspective, were illogical assumptions.
The leader felt this kid’s behavior was somewhat different from ordinary people. Initially, he thought the kid might be a bit foolish. It wasn’t until now that he realized the cured meat and water the kid bought were almost exactly enough for him to get out of this vast desert.
Moreover, this kid’s sense of direction was surprisingly accurate, unlike them, frontier traders who had mastered their experience through two or three decades of practice.
This kid’s sense of direction was more similar to the wolves in this wilderness, as if it stemmed from an instinct to hunt and prey on wild beasts.
This layered strangeness made the leader secretly apprehensive of the kid. He smiled and negotiated, “Younger Brother, I can see you’re not someone who breaks promises. Since we’ve already signed the contract, let’s continue together for peace of mind.”
Lu Qian silently stared at him for a moment, then suddenly hung the long knife back at his side. He bent down, picked up the meat and water, turned around, and continued walking in the direction he had chosen, leaving the leader with only one sentence—
“Keep up. Your grandpa doesn’t have time to delay for you.”
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