Chapter 704: The Water Vat Did Nothing Wrong Again

Consort Rong looked at her son's tender little face: "Are you not scared now?"

"When the time comes, with ten thousand troops and a murderous aura, you'll be the only one sitting on the city wall, and those two treacherous villains will surely stand beside you."

"You'd better think it through, Lin'er," she said, tears glistening in her eyes, "They will never let Mother Consort and you go up the wall together, no matter what."

Consort Rong trembled as she brushed her son's hair: "If you truly go, a tiny child sitting all alone there, Mother Consort would feel heartache just thinking of it."

Tuan Tuan felt a pang in her nose; Consort Rong truly is a good mother! She protects Little Twelve so fiercely.

If only I could take Little Twelve's place, I wouldn't fear those two villains! Ah, I forgot to bring a few Thousand Faces when we went out.

Xiao Er and Lu Qi also bowed their heads slowly, having thought of everything, yet they never considered a mother.

"Mother Consort!" Xiao Lin threw himself into his mother's arms, sobbing loudly.

Consort Rong held her son tightly, tears streaming down her face.

Tuan Tuan couldn't hold back either; tears fell with a splatter: "Little Eleven, keep the medicine; eat it if you want, otherwise never mind."

"It's fine, I'll think of another way for you."

Xiao Lin looked up at her: "Really? Tuan Tuan."

Tuan Tuan waved her tiny fist: "Mm! I promise you, I won't let anything happen to you!"

Consort Rong wiped the tears from her face: "Princess, I thank you for coming today."

"I'll take the medicine, but I'll do everything I can to keep Lin'er off the wall on the day of the siege."

"Alright!" Tuan Tuan nodded.

Xiao Er patted the back of Tuan Tuan's hand.

"I'm leaving!" Tuan Tuan waved at Xiao Lin and Consort Rong: "Little Eleven, when Imperial Uncle returns, we'll ride the dog cart together with Twelve again!"

Xiao Lin's mouth drooped, tears increasing: "It's been ages since I last rode a dog cart."

Lu Qi gently moved the tile back, and Tuan Tuan climbed onto Xiao Er's back.

The three retraced their steps cautiously, returning to the secret chamber in the Guoshi Residence.

Xiao Er mentioned the story, and Eunuch Cheng sighed lightly: "Consort Rong is the most straightforward among the consorts; I've only ever seen her angry, never like this… sigh."

"Those two treacherous villains will definitely force Consort Rong to make Prince Eleven go."

Xiao Ran also sighed: "I used to envy my younger brothers for having Mother Consort by their side."

"I never imagined that, once things change, a mother and son could become such mutual obstacles."

Tuan Tuan hugged Xiao Feifei, burying her little face in its long fur, feeling glum.

Xiao Ningyuan scooped her into his arms: "Tuan Tuan, you did well, truly well; Father will arrive soon, and all this will pass."

"Indeed," Chen Hao said sincerely, "Tuan Tuan, you've done enough and done it well. If it weren't for you, Xiao Ran and I would still be holed up in the dungeon now."

"Exactly, little runt," Xiao Ran said, "Don't be upset. By the way, didn't you say you still wanted to see Xiao Ningchen?"

Tuan Tuan lifted her little face to look at her brother: "Right! Big brother, the medicine's already given to Eleven; let's go see Second Brother tomorrow night."

"Didn't you say you also wanted him to inform Imperial Uncle? I really hope they come quickly!"

"Alright," Xiao Ningyuan gently rocked her, Tuan Tuan's eyes slowly closing, "You're exhausted tonight; go to sleep first."

"Tomorrow we'll go together to see your brother who's all sinewy muscle."

Xiao Er couldn't help laughing: "All sinewy muscle? Second Young Master? That's not wrong."

Xiao Ningyuan bent down, took Tuan Tuan's tiny shoes off, placed her on the bed; Xiao Feifei darted over, leapt onto the bed, curled into a ball beside her pillow.

Eunuch Cheng tucked the blanket over Tuan Tuan, and everyone tiptoed off to sleep.

That night of the next day, Xiao Er and Lu Qi, with Tuan Tuan and Xiao Ningyuan, arrived on the rooftop of a civilian house near Xuanwu Gate.

The few of them were stunned at first glance.

Along the base of the city wall, countless large water vats were packed together, making it impossible to approach the iron rings that tethered horses.

The moonlight was dim; the vats were hidden in the wall's shadows, so one could not tell whether they held water.

Tuan Tuan clutched Xiao Er's neck and whispered: "Uncle Er, why are there so many water vats here? How do we get inside?"

"I don't know, but miss," Xiao Er shook his head, "Our not getting in is a minor issue; Second Young Master and the others being trapped is the big problem."

"Right! What will Second Brother do?"

Xiao Ningyuan stared at the vats, wondering if they contained water; if they did, such huge vats would be very heavy.

Water vats… could there be others?

"Lu Qi, use your hidden weapon to shatter the farthest vat."

"Now?" Lu Qi was startled.

"Yes," Xiao Ningyuan raised a finger, "that one, the one opposite our direction."

"Alright." Lu Qi produced two iron lotus seeds, flicked his wrist, and launched toward the indicated direction.

Bang! Splash—

A water vat shattered, its water spilling across the ground.

Immediately after,

Whoosh—!

Whoosh whoosh—

Over a dozen feathered arrows shot toward the broken vat.

The group's hearts leapt; they crouched even lower.

Several Imperial Guard squads moved from the corner toward the shattered vat.

"How did the vat break?"

"Light the torches! Illuminate it!"

The torchlight flared, and the Imperial Guard gathered around the vat, kicking away fragments and rummaging inside.

Lu Qi saw it was not good, he gave a low shout: 'Quickly go!'

Several people quickly turned and retreated along the roof back into the secret room.

Xiao Ran saw them and couldn't help but stare: 'How did they come back so fast? What did Xiao Ningchen say? Has the secret passage been completely cleared?'

Xiao Ningyuan shook their head.

"We didn't see Second Brother at all!" Tuan Tuan chattered, recounting everything that happened tonight.

Xiao Ningyuan furrowed their brow: 'This tactic is truly, using the unchanging to respond to myriad changes.'

"Those water barrels are filled with water, large and heavy; even the slightest movement will draw a hail of arrows piercing the heart."

"We can't get in, and Second Younger Brother and his group can't get out."

"Not only that, Young Master," Xiao Er, who has served as Xiao Yuanhang's vanguard several times and knows siege warfare best, said: "The water in the barrels can also prevent fire—truly a double benefit."

"Whose clever idea was this?" Feng Zhou shook their head and praised: "Using just a few water barrels to solve the city wall's defense is truly cheap and effective."

Everyone glared at him.

"Too vicious!" Feng Zhou suddenly realized and immediately corrected: "Which bastard came up with this!"

Lu Qi pondered for a moment: "Should I go smash all the water barrels?"

Xiao Er shook their head: "Brother Lu, even one water barrel has caused so many people; even if your skills are superb, you couldn't possibly escape unharmed."

"The water barrels aren't at fault," Tuan Tuan said, puzzled: "It's clearly those archers who are at fault! Why smash the water barrels?"