Following the deputy general’s command, the soldiers standing on the city wall who had been shivering from the cold suddenly tensed their spines, quickly nocking arrows and drawing their bows to aim into the distance.
In the darkness, they could see a group of horsemen protecting a crude carriage with a lantern hanging from its corner, racing toward them at full gallop.
“Quickly open the city gates!”
The lead guard in tight-fitting clothes, riding a pitch-black horse, reined in his mount and shouted: “In the carriage is the daughter of Suining City’s prefect, General Ye’s niece! Suining City has been breached, and Great Zhou has captured our Western Liang Empress alive! The prefect’s daughter risked her life to escape and bring this news! Please, General Ye, open the city gates!”
Upon hearing this, the gate guard standing beside the deputy general hurriedly looked toward the deputy general: “General? Should we report this to General Ye?”
The deputy general looked at the carriage, gritted his teeth, and after a long while said: “Open the city gates! Although ever since the old general passed away, the Ye family’s young lady has never returned to Yecheng Pass, she is still General Ye’s niece after all! Now that Suining City has been breached, this Ye family cousin has risked her life to run out and tell us His Majesty has been captured – this concerns military intelligence and cannot be delayed! Like this – open just a gap… let the Ye family cousin enter. I’ll take the Ye family cousin to see the general. The rest wait outside. If anyone dares make any suspicious moves, shoot them dead immediately!”
Once, the old general had made their father and son swear to the heavens to take care of Ye Yingyan. All these years, Ye Yingyan had never come to find them. Now Ye Yingyan’s daughter was below, and even knowing this might violate military orders, he still had to extend a helping hand – though limited to just this young lady alone.
“But General Ye has ordered that without seeing the token, the city gates must not be opened!”
“Send someone to report to General Ye! Just say it’s my words… open a gap and let the Ye family cousin enter, that’s all!” the deputy general said.
“General!” The gate guard knelt on one knee. “This subordinate dares not violate military orders! I’ll immediately send someone to urgently report to the general – it won’t delay long! Please, General, wait a moment!”
After speaking, the guard turned to his subordinates and said, “Go quickly! Report to the general!”
The deputy general gripped his sword hilt, forcefully slapping the city wall with his hand, saying: “Forget it, I’ll go myself! Tell the Ye family cousin to wait a moment – I’ll go report and be back immediately!”
After speaking, the deputy general turned and walked down from the city wall.
General Ye hated Ye Yingyan and Ye Yingyan’s mother to the bone. What if, upon hearing it was Ye Yingyan’s daughter, he didn’t allow her to enter the city – wouldn’t that be terrible!
If he went to speak, and General Ye didn’t allow this Ye family cousin to enter the city, he could still try to persuade him. If someone else went to speak… who knows, the general might refuse outright, and this young lady wouldn’t be able to enter the city, likely becoming a soul under Great Zhou’s blade.
Soon, the deputy general delivered the news to Ye Shouguan.
Ye Shouguan, with his prominent facial features, stubbled face, wrapped in a great cloak and sitting before a brazier, had his face taut. Upon hearing Ye Yingyan’s name, murderous intent was already churning in his eyes. But disasters don’t extend to descendants – Ye Yingyan and her wretched mother were one thing, children were another. Ye Shouguan wouldn’t be so petty as to not even tolerate a child.
However, this was a special time, and he had never seen Ye Yingyan’s daughter. What if Great Zhou had sent someone to impersonate her…
Seeing Ye Shouguan silent for a long while, the deputy general moved closer and said: “Right now, the main issue is that His Majesty has been captured by Great Zhou’s army. I’m afraid this cousin, who could be protected while risking her life to escape, might also bring news about His Majesty. I think this way… make those guards who protected the cousin to Yecheng retreat and not move rashly. Let the cousin enter the city alone! Otherwise, shoot all those people dead!”
Ye Shouguan’s face flickered between light and dark in the firelight. He nodded: “Do as you say. Let that young lady enter the city first… bring her to see me!”
“Yes!” The deputy general responded, stood up, clasped his fists in salute, then turned and strode out quickly.
Sima Ruodan sat inside the carriage, her palms tightly gripping the hem of her clothes. She tugged at her hair and the clothing she had already torn, adjusting her breathing…
Soon, someone from atop the city wall shouted: “You guards retreat ten zhang away! Let the cousin get off the carriage alone! Don’t make any suspicious moves, or don’t blame the blades and arrows for being merciless.”
Upon hearing this, Sima Ruodan suddenly looked up. So this meant… only she could enter the city alone!
The Bai family guards also looked at each other. To make their act more convincing, they all bore wounds on their bodies.
“General, we brothers all have wounds from protecting the young lady on our way here! Could you let us brothers enter the city first to treat our injuries?” a Bai family soldier shouted toward the wall above.
The deputy general was not heartless either, shouting back: “I’ll bring medicine out to you, but… before confirming the cousin’s identity, you absolutely cannot enter the city! These are special times – please understand!”
Hearing the deputy general on the city wall speak thus, the Bai family soldiers had no choice but to turn their horses around. They spoke quietly to Sima Ruodan inside the carriage: “Miss, we’ll wait for you outside the city!”
Sima Ruodan was already panicked, and now became even more so. She raised her hand to lift the carriage curtain, looking toward the Bai family soldier brothers. The Bai family soldier nodded gently at her, signaling her to be at ease.
Only then did Sima Ruodan nod.
Seeing that the guards escorting the carriage had retreated, the city gate slowly opened just a crack. The deputy general led vigilant archers out from within the gate. The archers on the city wall aimed their arrows at the distant Bai family guards, while the archers brought by the deputy general aimed at the carriage…
The deputy general stopped not far from the carriage, his thumb pressed against his blade hilt, looking warily at the carriage and shouting: “Miss Cousin, please get off the carriage!”
Sima Ruodan felt her spine tense. Her soft voice carried the trembling of someone who had survived disaster: “General, my clothes are torn… could you give me a cloak?”
Upon hearing this, the deputy general became even more vigilant. He removed the cloak from his body, signaling the archers beside him to stay alert, then stepped forward and used his blade to pass the cloak into the carriage.
A trembling, delicate white hand extended from within the carriage curtain, bearing scratches from being scraped. She took the cloak from the blade, and, in just a moment, emerged from the carriage, tightly wrapped in the cloak…
Looking up, they saw a soft and weak, tear-stained woman with disheveled hair still containing dried leaves step down from the carriage. Her delicate features were visible. She held the cloak tightly closed from inside with both hands and bowed to the deputy general: “Thank you, General!”
“Miss Cousin, this is…” The deputy general thought Ye Yingyan’s daughter had suffered assault.
“When escaping, it was too rushed. It’s all my fault… since childhood, I couldn’t shoulder burdens or lift with my hands, and I even dragged down the guards.” Sima Ruodan lowered her head in the manner of Ye Yingyan’s daughter.
“Miss Cousin, please enter the city first. The general wants to see you!” the deputy general said.
Sima Ruodan nodded repeatedly: “I also need to see uncle!”
Soon, the disheveled Sima Ruodan was brought into the city. The deputy general also had soldiers place medicine for the Bai family soldiers outside the city gate, and even left some food and clean water for them.