My lord?

Even though Yue Linxi had been following her orders, seeing this kind of situation, he couldn’t help but harbor doubts.

Meng Tinghui finally shifted her gaze, turning her head to glance at the verdant mountain forest.

Things had come to this point; she had no other options.

“This is too strange,” she feigned suspicion on her face as she turned to Yue Linxi and said: “I fear he saw the two of us on the mountaintop and became suspicious. If we confront them directly, we will surely suffer losses. Instead, let’s appear more forthright—ride down the mountain pretending to be traveling merchants. After we pass, they will certainly withdraw, and then the troops in the mountain can come down.”

Yue Linxi was quite doubtful and hesitated to nod in agreement.

Fearing that if they delayed too long, he might personally come up the mountain, she inwardly gritted her teeth, shouted urgently, and gave her horse’s rump a sharp lash, galloping down the mountain.

Yue Linxi was stunned but naturally wouldn’t let her go down alone. Without much thought, he also spurred his horse down the mountain.

The wind swept through her hair, her heart beating rapidly. As the horse galloped and leaped, she felt as if she might fly out. Images from the past suddenly flashed through her mind, all joyful, yet now filled with melancholy.

Down the mountain, before she could rein in her horse and turn, he had already ridden to her front, forcefully stopping her mount, then looking down at her imperiously.

She raised her eyes to meet his gaze so close to her, and her eyes couldn’t help but moisten.

Yue Linxi had also come down the mountain behind her. Before she could react, two riders charged out from the formation, one in front and one behind, flanking Yue Linxi and pulling him aside.

After a moment of shock, Yue Linxi was horrified, looking at her in disbelief. “You…”

But she remained silent, her hands trembling as she clutched the reins.

“Meng Tinghui.”

His thin lips moved slightly, his voice not loud, but it stirred waves in her heart.

The man before her was filled with a heavy aura of fierceness. He was thinner than when she had left the capital, which only made his bones appear harder and more fierce, his gaze cold and intimidating.

He must hate her.

But she didn’t know what he would do to her now that he had unexpectedly encountered her, blocked her, and captured her.

He glanced at Yue Linxi, then coldly looked at the two soldiers, who immediately stepped forward and stuffed something into Yue Linxi’s mouth, preventing him from making any sound.

Yue Linxi’s eyes were wide open as he was pulled off his horse, struggling desperately, making muffled sounds in his throat, staring fiercely at Meng Tinghui without letting go.

Seeing this, she felt her body grow even colder.

“Up the mountain,” he turned his head and ordered a trusted general behind him, “eliminate the rebels.”

With his command, the thousand cavalry that had been stationary immediately turned with rattling armor. War horses kicked up yellow sand, and amid the fierce autumn wind, long spears and halberds entered directly into the forest.

Before long, terrifying sounds of battle came from the mountain path in the distance. The clashing of spears and swords was extremely harsh, and a faint smell of blood floated in the air around them.

She tried her best not to imagine the scene on the mountain behind her, nor to look at Yue Linxi who was being held aside, yet she couldn’t suppress the slight trembling of her lips or conceal the fear in her eyes.

His eyes seemed to ignore the bloody battle as he quickly scanned her from head to toe, then coldly said: “Get down.”

Finally, it was her turn.

Suddenly, a soldier led a horse to her side. She instinctively glanced up and saw that the horse was her own Qingyun.

It felt as if something suddenly blocked her heart, soaking wet yet unable to spill a single drop, her internal organs aching as if suffocated.

“Mount,” he said again, his voice pouring into her ears from above.

Her eyes reddened as she bit her lip and turned to look at him, but he had already pulled the reins and urged his horse to move aside, his back still cold and distant.

Qingyun lowered its head, exhaling heavily beside her face, then swept its long mane across her body.

She had never seen it so obedient and understanding, so she couldn’t help but wrap her arms around its neck, lowering her eyes as tears fell.

He should hate her, yet he had brought her Qingyun on this campaign. She could no longer believe that today’s encounter was coincidental—he had led troops thousands of li to find her.

But she couldn’t understand how he knew her whereabouts, nor what he intended to do by doing this.

She had caused the Great Peace imperial guards to lose Jin Gorge Pass without a fight; her name as a treasonous minister who betrayed her country was known by everyone in the land; she had mingled with rebel bandits—she didn’t deserve his seeking.

Yue Linxi saw him riding directly over and struggled more fiercely, but was firmly held down by the two soldiers beside him.

He sat high on his horse, looking down at Yue Linxi, and asked: “Were you heading to Shuzhou?”

Yue Linxi’s face was congested to a purple-red as he stared at him without moving.

He swung his arm, lowering his spear and leaning down slightly. “You seem not to know who I am.”

This one word “I” (referring to the imperial “We”) immediately made Yue Linxi lose color in shock. Fear finally showed in his eyes, followed by hatred.

He desperately turned his head to look at Meng Tinghui.

Ying Gua raised his arm and lifted his spear, pressing it against Yue Linxi’s chin to force him to turn back. “When I ask a question, no one dares not to answer.”

Yue Linxi’s chin was cut by the spear tip and bled. The pain made his facial expression even more distorted. After a long while, he slowly nodded once.

Ying Gua withdrew his spear and said coldly with a slanted eyebrow: “What a coincidence, I am also going to Shuzhou. Since your escort troops have been eliminated by me this time, why not let me escort you there? How about that?”

Hearing these words from the side, she couldn’t help but tremble inside, unable for the first time to fathom what he was thinking.

Yue Linxi could not resist, could not move, and could not speak. He simply closed his eyes in resignation, no longer struggling.

“No response means agreement.” He turned and loudly called over several imperial guards who had remained at the foot of the mountain, ordering some to stay here: “Tell Commander Chai that for all rebel troops killed today, heads are to be counted for merit—not a single head should be missed!” Then he lightly swept the tip of his spear and said to the other men: “You few, take this person prisoner and follow me first.”

Yue Linxi was pushed forward, stumbling past beneath her horse. The hatred in his eyes when he looked at her was almost enough to burn someone.

She lowered her eyes slightly, her hand gripping tighter.

In her hesitation, he had already ridden up from behind, raising his whip in the air toward Qingyun and ordering in a low voice: “Go!”

Qingyun excitedly galloped forward fiercely, nearly throwing her off its back as she was completely unprepared. His black steed followed suit, leaping several steps to catch up with it.

On the sandy road, her crimson long skirt blended with Qingyun’s jujube-red coat. As they galloped, it was like a fierce flame jumping up and down, extremely eye-catching, with nowhere to hide.

The group passed through this mountainous highland area and turned west.

Only then did she vaguely guess that there must have been fighting at nearby Mingzhou to the west. Perhaps the city had already been captured by the Great Peace imperial guards, allowing him to personally lead troops here so unrestrained.

Sure enough, after galloping until dusk, they approached the outskirts of Mingzhou.

In the distance, smoke could still be seen rising from the city walls of Mingzhou, but Great Peace military flags were planted everywhere inside and outside the battlements, banners fluttering fiercely, and the thick clouds on the horizon were blackened by the fires of war.

Mingzhou was not far from where the Jiankang and Linhui routes intersected. The city had first been taken by rebel forces and was now recaptured by the Great Peace, so one could imagine the scene of panic and chaos within the city.

Therefore, he did not enter the city directly, which was within her expectations.

The Great Peace imperial guards set up camp five li outside the city. He ordered people to take her to the encampment while he remained on horseback for a long time, standing at the east end of the camp gazing into the distance.

The soldiers led her to an empty tent, pushed her in, and then stood firmly guarding outside.

As soon as she entered the tent, her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground, unable to stand up for a long while.