Luoshen had been accompanying A’Ye at Jingkou for several months now. On this day, Lu Shi summoned her and said: “A’Mi, your A’Niang should be giving birth soon, and Lord Gao must suppress the rebellions. Everything is well with A’Ye here, so you need not remain by my side any longer. Return early to attend your A’Niang, and only then can I be at peace.”

A’Niang’s due date should be at the end of this month. Luoshen had been thinking about this matter these past days and was looking for an opportunity to speak with Lu Shi about it. She hadn’t expected that before she could speak, Lu Shi would think of it first and proactively tell her to return. Deeply moved, she agreed and said: “A’Ye, why don’t you come to Jiankang with me?”

Lu Shi smiled: “Jingkou is peaceful, so A’Ye won’t go there to cause you trouble. You go back yourself. When the Eldest Princess gives birth, remember to send word to A’Ye.”

The Celestial Master rebellion had begun in the Three Wu regions and within a short time had swept across the Jiangnan heartland, with the rebel crowds reportedly numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

Since the establishment of Great Yu, though internal strife had been constant, upheaval of such magnitude was unprecedented.

As the national capital, Jiankang had flat terrain with no natural defenses in the surrounding area. To prevent the religious rebellion from affecting Jiankang, Gao Qiao dispatched Gao Yin to lead troops stationed in the southeastern areas of Piling, Qu’a, and Jurong, constructing a tight triangular military defense line to block any possibility of the Celestial Master rebellion reaching the capital.

Not only was Jingkou within this military defense line, but as the most important ferry crossing connecting Jiangbei and Jiankang, recently due to frequently transferring troops from Guangling southward to deal with rebellions in various places, Gao Qiao had also stationed an army of about five hundred men here to protect the crossing. Additionally, the Jingkou Magistrate and Li Mu had previously driven out all Celestial Master forces from here completely, so now, though the outside world was in complete chaos, this place remained very peaceful. On the streets and in the alleys, except for hearing people everywhere discussing the religious rebellion, daily life was the same as before, no different at all.

Luoshen didn’t insist. However, considering that things were chaotic outside, before departing she specifically summoned the Guangling Army deputy named Fan Wang who was stationed here under her father’s orders, and gave him various instructions. Fan Wang naturally agreed readily. Only then did Luoshen feel at ease. The next morning, she bid farewell to Lu Shi and A’Ting and, under Fan Cheng’s escort, boarded a boat back to Jiankang.

Jingkou was downstream from Jiankang, so the return journey meant sailing against the current. With unfavorable winds today, though the boatmen rowed with full effort, progress was slow. After a full day, they had covered only several dozen li of waterway. At this speed, it would take at least six or seven days to reach Jiankang.

Knowing that her father was not currently in Jiankang and her mother was about to give birth, Luoshen was worried and wanted to arrive as soon as possible. For the next several days, they began sailing before dawn and didn’t lower the sails until complete darkness. After traveling this way for two days, the wind turned favorable and they could finally increase speed. After sailing another day, when they were halfway through their journey, they discovered the waterway seemed blocked. The boats ahead moved slower and slower, gradually piling up until they stopped completely, unable to proceed at all.

The river surface was filled with all kinds of large and small vessels that had been blocked. On shore, a military force was deploying and passing through, with mounted messengers constantly riding back and forth between them, creating a very unusual atmosphere.

Boatmen from the surrounding vessels came to their boat heads to inquire with each other. Some said word had come from ahead that the waterway had been cut off by the military—except for grain transport ships, all other vessels were refused passage and ordered to turn around and leave immediately.

These vessels were mostly merchant ships loaded with goods, coming from upstream and having traveled many days. Just when they were within two days of reaching Jiankang, they suddenly received this news. There was immediate uproar and great dissatisfaction—some cursed, some stamped their feet, and others discussed the inside information they had just learned. It was said that the court’s army couldn’t defeat the Celestial Master sect, that those people had divine protection, could pass through walls, and were invulnerable to weapons. They were about to attack Jiankang, which was why the roads were sealed to prevent passage. Curses erupted everywhere, with people denouncing the court army’s incompetence.

Luoshen was anxious and sent Fan Cheng ashore to find out what was happening. Soon after, she heard the sound of galloping horses from shore.

Looking out through the cabin window, Luoshen saw from the direction of Jiankang on the shore a group of military horsemen galloping toward them, all wearing helmets and armor. The man in front was actually Gao Yin.

Gao Yin had previously been stationed with troops at Guangling. Last month, due to the outbreak of the Celestial Master rebellion, he had led troops across the river from Guangling. When passing through Jingkou, he had briefly met with Luoshen. Unexpectedly, they were meeting here again.

Luoshen immediately emerged from the cabin to greet him.

Gao Yin stopped his horse on shore and dismounted.

People on nearby boats saw a young military officer of apparently high rank with a stern expression striding quickly toward that large boat, guessing that he must have ordered the waterway blockade ahead. They were very dissatisfied but dared not protest loudly, so they pointed and whispered about him.

Gao Yin ignored this and went directly aboard Luoshen’s boat. When the siblings met, without time for pleasantries, Luoshen immediately asked: “Elder Brother, my A’Niang is about to give birth and I need to return to Jiankang. I traveled here today, but why is passage ahead blocked?”

“Uncle thought you were still at Jingkou. Just the day before yesterday, he had me send someone to give you a message, telling you to stay there temporarily and not return to Jiankang for now.”

Gao Yin’s answer didn’t address her question directly.

“What has happened?” Luoshen recalled the military force that had hurried past on shore earlier and the boatmen’s discussions, and her heart suddenly tightened.

“Could it really be that the Celestial Master sect is about to attack?”

Gao Yin shook his head, his expression grave.

“It’s not the Celestial Master sect. It’s more troublesome than them. Xu Mi has rebelled. In these extraordinary times, I’ve ordered all water and land routes to Jiankang completely sealed with no passage allowed!”

Luoshen was shocked: “What? Xu Mi has also rebelled?”

Gao Yin nodded: “News from several days ago. Xu Mi has gathered forces from multiple routes—no fewer than one hundred thousand—attacking Jiankang simultaneously from upstream and Xuan City in two directions, west and south…”

He paused, his brow deeply furrowed.

“Jiankang has no defensible terrain to rely on, and the Celestial Master sect is too rampant, creating a major constraint. Uncle fears that if anything happens, he told me to send you word not to return to Jiankang but to stay at Jingkou. Jingkou is downstream from Jiankang and is now actually safer than Jiankang. If there are truly further developments later, it would also be convenient to send you across the river to Guangling to avoid the chaos.”

If earlier she had only been shocked, then at this moment, hearing from her elder brother what arrangements their father had actually made for her, Luoshen was utterly stunned.

The Guangling Army was stationed north of the river, directly facing Beixia, bearing the heavy responsibility of guarding the gateway to the lower Yangtze River, making it impossible to transfer all their forces across the river.

Dealing with the hundreds of thousands of Celestial Master followers surging up everywhere was already somewhat overwhelming. Now with an additional one hundred thousand well-trained Xu Mi rebel troops who had all experienced battlefields, the situation was undoubtedly going from bad to worse.

No wonder her father didn’t want her to return to Jiankang.

“What about A’Niang? Is she well?”

Luoshen’s face turned slightly pale as she immediately asked.

“No matter how fast the rebel army moves, they couldn’t possibly arrive this quickly. As soon as Uncle received the news, he was already on his way back to Jiankang. He’s returning to arrange city defenses and also to arrange for Aunt’s safety. Uncle will take good care of her. Don’t worry—go back yourself first. Tell Fan Wang for me that he must be doubly careful. I’ll allocate more people here, led by Fan Cheng, to return to Jingkou with you.”

Luoshen stood stunned for a moment, recalling Gao Yin’s hurried appearance earlier—clearly he had urgent military duties.

She gazed at the accumulation of boats on the river surface ahead that stretched beyond sight, knowing that unless the situation was truly severe, her father would never make such arrangements for her.

As for her mother, she was sure her father would arrange everything properly.

Just as her elder brother said, in extraordinary times, if she didn’t listen and forced her way back, she might instead become a burden.

“I understand. I’ll return to Jingkou immediately.”

Seeing her agree to go back, Gao Yin breathed a sigh of relief and comforted her: “Uncle’s consideration is only a precaution. Little Sister, don’t worry too much.”

Luoshen nodded. She watched him go ashore, call over a deputy, select a team of soldiers to give to Fan Cheng, and give various instructions.

“Elder Brother, my Langjun! Have A’Ye quickly send him word! When he knows Jiankang’s situation is critical, he’ll definitely bring troops back to help A’Ye!”

Luoshen leaned out and shouted to Gao Yin on shore.

Gao Yin turned back and nodded.

“Also, there’s a Qin House by the Qinhuai River with a woman named Lu Niang inside! If anything happens to Jiankang, Elder Brother remember to have someone protect her!”

Gao Yin was startled but didn’t ask further questions. He just waved to Luoshen, indicating he had noted this, signaled for her to return to the cabin, then mounted his horse and departed with his men.

Just as he had hurried here moments ago, now he hurried away. Soon, his group of horsemen disappeared at the end of the riverbank.

Luoshen suppressed her chaotic emotions and had Fan Cheng arrange to turn around and return to Jingkou.

The return journey was downstream and very fast. Within two days, the boat was back at Jingkou.

Jingkou looked no different from when Luoshen had left. Except for the shadows of the several hundred garrison troops near the military ferry, looking from the boat toward shore, the scene was peaceful without the slightest sense of tension.

The boat gradually approached shore and Luoshen was preparing to disembark when she suddenly heard someone on shore calling her name loudly.

The person approaching was one of Fan Wang’s personal attendants. When Luoshen had summoned Fan Wang that day, this man had also been present, so she recognized him.

The man ran to the dock in one breath and, before the boat had stopped, leaped onto the bow and knelt before Luoshen, saying that General Fan had urgent business to discuss with her. He had sent someone to pursue her last night, not expecting her to return today on her own.

It turned out that last night, Fan Wang had received a letter saying that someone intended harm to Old Madam Li and to increase vigilance. There was nothing else written, and no signature. The person who delivered the letter had also left immediately after handing it over. Fan Wang was completely bewildered—he neither knew the exact details nor who wanted to harm the old madam. But having received the warning, he immediately sent troops last night to guard the Li residence, then dispatched someone overnight to Jiankang to relay this news to Luoshen.

Luoshen’s heart skipped a beat.

Her first reaction was that Xu Mi wanted to use A’Ye to threaten Li Mu. She immediately went ashore and hurried home. Seeing Lu Shi and finding her safe and sound, she breathed a sigh of relief, then summoned Fan Wang and the Jingkou Magistrate. She told them about her encounter with Gao Yin on the road and learning that Xu Mi had rebelled several days ago, and also relayed Gao Yin’s order for Fan Wang to guard the ferry well.

Fan Wang, the Jingkou Magistrate, and Fan Cheng then hurriedly left to deploy their response.

Luoshen discussed with Lu Shi and decided to move to the estate. There the gates were sturdy and the grounds extensive—even if something truly happened, there would be room to maneuver.

Lu Shi agreed to everything. So that day, they packed their belongings and everyone, masters and servants alike, moved in together. Thereafter, besides arranging guards day and night, Fan Cheng, with his military background, as if preparing for war, also led people to dig trenches around the estate and set up rolling stones as precautions.

Having temporarily settled in, Luoshen began anxious waiting.

Though her elder brother’s words that day had made her deeply worried, subconsciously she still hoped that these were all just her father’s excessive concerns.

Jiankang, as the capital of Great Yu since crossing south, had developed to its current state with forty-odd li extending in all four directions. Its city walls were imposing, its palaces magnificent, with over two hundred thousand households in the city, dense population, gentle mountains and soft waters—it was the place where she had grown up and lived since birth.

She truly didn’t want to see it now having to suffer the merciless devastation of warfare.

But bad news still came quickly. From the continuous waves of Guangling Army deployments southward through the Jingkou ferry, one could guess what an enormous predicament her father was now facing.

In just ten-odd days, the army from Jingzhou had advanced eastward along the Yangtze River, successively capturing the inadequately defended Dongting and Xiakou, and had now pushed to the Wuchang Commandery area.

The Wuchang Commandery Governor was Gao Qiao’s student and was now leading commandery troops, relying on the sturdy city walls to desperately defend the city.

The rebel army from Xuan City, closer to Jiankang and positioned downstream, was taking advantage of the Celestial Master sect’s frenzied rebellion to strike toward Jiankang. In just ten-odd days, they had reached the Liyang area.

If Liyang fell, the rebel army would have a clear path and could reach Jiankang within seven or eight days.

Jiankang was in extreme danger.

Gao Qiao had already transferred all available forces from Guangling, leaving only the final twenty thousand troops under Gao Yun’s command to barely resist Beixia forces.

Facing the menacing Xuan City rebels, he had no choice but to contract his battle lines, abandoning the suppression of Celestial Master forces in some commanderies and counties. He ordered Gao Yin to defend to the death the triangular defense line positioned southeast of Jiankang—it could not be lost—while investing all remaining forces in Liyang.

Gao Qiao personally rushed to Liyang to take command. In a bloody battle, he routed the Xuan City rebels, who were beaten so badly they fled several hundred li in one breath and no longer dared attack easily. After consultation, they decided to wait for the upstream army to arrive before jointly attacking Jiankang.

In this battle, Gao Qiao’s reason for transferring large forces and personally rushing from Jiankang to take command was to completely crush the Xuan City rebels’ morale, ensuring they wouldn’t dare act rashly in the short term, thereby gaining a temporary breathing space to plan the next step amid this dense rain of battles.

Having achieved his objective, he left garrison troops with orders for his subordinates to firmly hold Liyang. Without time to rest, that very night he rushed back to Jiankang.

In Jiankang city, many matters still awaited him.