Chapter 511

Hu Xiaotian said: "That night, first night owls attacked the camp, then thick smoke billowed, and there were waves of fighting, but the bandits who actually came to attack us were not many. Are these bandits stupid? A few dozen or a hundred people dare to attack our troop—knowing they are facing five hundred well-trained Shence Guard warriors, who would be stupid enough to court death?"

Wu Jingshan said: "Indeed, there were bandits."

"I'm not saying there weren't any, but these people are really too suspicious—not a single one was captured alive, only a few corpses were found. These people are clearly just putting on a show, causing internal chaos among us, leading us to shift camps—in this process..." Hu Xiaotian deliberately paused.

Wu Jingshan said: "What?" After hearing Hu Xiaotian's analysis, Wu Jingshan also began to doubt that night's events.

Hu Xiaotian said: "There's something Sir Wu doesn't know: during the transfer, someone tried to assassinate me, but I discovered it in time and eliminated them."

Wu Jingshan whispered: "But Zhao Zhihe?" After asking, he felt a bit regretful, shouldn't have been so eager.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Without evidence I won't speak nonsense, Sir Wu; I dare say someone wants to take advantage of this opportunity to stir up chaos and settle personal scores."

"How could that be?" Wu Jingshan said, though his mouth said that, his heart already agreed with Hu Xiaotian's view; Wen Boyuan and Hu Xiaotian originally belonged to different camps, and they had prior grudges, so Wen Boyuan taking this trip to seize the chance to kill Hu Xiaotian is quite possible.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Sir Wu, don't underestimate this matter, and don't think you can stay out of it, watching the fire from the other bank; know that when the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer. Even if this series of events may not be aimed at you, don't forget that you are responsible for escorting the princess to her distant marriage; you are the Chief Marriage Envoy, and if any mistake occurs, the person who must bear the responsibility first and foremost is you."

Wu Jingshan involuntarily sucked in a breath of cold air, his right hand habitually went to stroke his beard, but upon touching it he stopped there. He whispered: "Lord Hu, what do you think we should do?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Xiaotian will follow Sir Wu's lead."

Wu Jingshan said: "If it really won't work, we should still go to Wuxing County according to the original plan."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Sir Wu, you should first clarify the situation before speaking; if Wuxing County truly has a civil disturbance, taking a detour may not be impossible, but if someone fabricated this out of thin air and deliberately changed the route, then Sir Wu needs to come up with a countermeasure quickly. After all, we haven't even completed half of our journey."

Wu Jingshan nodded: "Alright, I'll verify this news first."

Hu Xiaotian left Wu Jingshan's residence; on the way back, passing the old oil press of Lujia Village, the people in charge of horse and carriage dispatch were all stationed there. He met Tang Qingxuan returning from outside. Since Tang Qingxuan and Long Xi Yue became sworn sisters, their friendship has deepened rapidly, and Tang Qingxuan almost every day goes to Long Xi Yue's place to keep her company. Now she has just come back from there. After the incident in the Black Pine Forest, Tang Qingxuan has been avoiding meeting Hu Xiaotian. Since witnessing Hu Xiaotian ruthlessly kill Zhao Zhihé, she has developed an inexplicable fear of him.

But this time, meeting on a narrow road, there was no way to avoid it; Tang Qingxuan lowered her head, intending to pretend she hadn't seen him and brush past, yet Hu Xiaotian took the initiative to greet: "Miss Tang, hello!"

Tang Qingxuan could no longer pretend she hadn't heard; she lifted her head, somewhat flustered, and nodded at him.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Thank you, Miss Tang, for what happened last time."

Tang Qingxuan of course understood that Hu Xiaotian was referring to her helping him give false testimony; in fact she didn't want to help Hu Xiaotian, but given the circumstances, Wen Boyuan was overly arrogant, arousing her sense of righteous indignation, which forced her and her brother to stand on the same side as Hu Xiaotian.

Tang Qingxuan bit her cherry lips and whispered softly: "I didn't mean to help you… don't misunderstand…" While speaking, she dared not look at Hu Xiaotian. As the saying goes, ghosts fear evil people; although she is fiery, she is after all not a murderously vicious woman, and facing Hu Xiaotian, this murderous fiend who kills without blinking, she truly feels some fear.

Hu Xiaotian recalled the scene of their first meeting, and couldn't help laughing; if it weren't for that dispute, perhaps his old master wouldn't have sent him to Xichuan to lay low, nor would it have led to all those later stories. So much time has passed, Hu Xiaotian feels he ought to explain: "Actually, when I first met Miss Tang, I merely pulled you out of Biyun Lake; I never did anything to wrong you."

Upon hearing him mention this, Tang Qingxuan's pretty face flushed involuntarily; in fact, after the incident Murong Feiyan also explained things to Hu Xiaotian, and she herself, after calming down, had sorted out the situation then. To say nothing else, if Hu Xiaotian hadn't fished her out of the lake, she would have drowned that day. As for later, her several brothers led a crowd to besiege the Minister's residence, and she herself chased and tried to kill that minister's son within the residence. At that time the two families' standings were vastly unequal; if the Hu family had pressed the matter as they did, they certainly would not have let them off lightly, but in fact the Hu family never pursued it, and her father, worried about Hu family retaliation after that incident, remained uneasy for a long time.

Tang Qingxuan said: "It's all in the past; let's not bring it up again." Given her spoiled nature, having such magnanimity today is truly rare. After saying that, she lowered her gaze and whispered: "Lord Hu, if there's nothing else, I'll go first." She secretly thought: This Hu Xiaotian also got his comeuppance; nowadays he's been sent into the palace to become a eunuch, not even counting as a man anymore, so why should I bother to quarrel with him?

Hu Xiaotian said: "Miss Tang, please stay; I have one more thing I want to say to you."

Tang Qingxuan furrowed her brows, thinking: I don't have that much to say to you.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Since Miss Tang's identity has already been exposed, staying with the entourage will likely cause inconvenience; in a few days we will be leaving Dakang, so why not consider returning to Kangdu early?" Hu Xiaotian actually meant well: Tang Qingxuan's exposed identity is one reason, and another more important reason is that she helped me bear witness; in the Zhao Zhihé matter she evidently offended Wen Boyuan, and given his temperament he will surely retaliate against her; in any case Tang Qingxuan has helped me, so Hu Xiaotian kindly reminded her.

Tang Qingxuan said: "This time I am definitely going to Yongdu."

Hu Xiaotian blinked slightly.

Tang Qingxuan said: "The princess did not disdain me and we became sworn sisters; she has left her homeland, marrying far away, and in this lifetime she may never have a chance to return to her native land, and now she has no relatives by her side. As her sworn sister, I must accompany her to Yongdu and see her safely delivered."

Only then did Hu Xiaotian realize this was for that reason; in fact the Princess Anping and Tang Qingxuan became sworn sisters also to protect her, to prevent Wen Boyuan from seeking trouble for her again, but he never expected Tang Qingxuan to take this matter so seriously. Since the conversation has reached this point, Hu Xiaotian finds it inconvenient to urge her further, and he nodded: "Miss Tang, you should still be careful in your daily affairs."

Tang Qingxuan stared blankly at Hu Xiaotian's retreating back, when suddenly a cough sounded behind her, startling her; she turned around and discovered her elder brother Tang Tiehan had appeared beside her at some unknown time. Tang Qingxuan stamped her foot, pouted her cherry lips, and said: "Big brother, you're so annoying, deliberately scaring me!"

Tang Tiehan followed her gaze and said: "Isn't that Hu Xiaotian?"

Tang Qingxuan nodded and said: "Mm!"

"What does he want from you?" Tang Tiehan said, appearing very wary.

Tang Qingxuan said: "Nothing much, just advising me to go back."

Tang Tiehan said: "Exactly, he's right; I actually think the same."

Tang Qingxuan, being quite stubborn, shook her head firmly and said: "As I've said, I will definitely see the princess safely to Yongdu."

Princess Anping stood quietly in the courtyard, her gaze fixed on the crescent moon in the sky; the moonlight was bright, the moon like thin ice, hanging silently in the deep‑blue, velvety sky. Hu Xiaotian came behind her, without disturbing her reverie, and observed Long Xi Yue's pretty face from the side; from any angle her features were flawless, the cold moonlight showering on her, veiling her delicate form in a mysterious halo, gorgeous and splendid, like a fairy who had strayed into the mortal world.

Long Xi Yue turned her pretty face, her beautiful eyes gazing at Hu Xiaotian, and whispered softly: "Do you still remember the couplet‑matching scene in the Hollow Valley?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "I wouldn't dare forget!"

Long Xi Yue said: "My upper couplet is: 'Sun in the east, moon in the west, heaven forms the character "bright".'"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Princess, please listen well; my lower couplet is: 'Son on the right, daughter on the left, the world ordains a good match.'"

Long Xi Yue said: "The sun and moon, the two heavenly wheels, are the eyes of heaven and earth."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Reading ten thousand volumes, a woman's heart!" He lifted his head and saw Long Xi Yue's beautiful eyes glistening with tears, like two crushed stars, and felt his own heart also crushed by her tears.

Long Xi Yue raised her head, holding back her tears so they would not fall easily; after a while she whispered softly: "Even if one reads ten thousand volumes, one cannot escape the fact of being merely a little woman."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Your Highness the Princess, do you not wish to be a woman?"

Long Xi Yue was startled by Hu Xiaotian's question.

Hu Xiaotian whispered: "If a man does not want to be a man, he can still choose to become a eunuch; but if a woman does not want to be a woman, then only one option remains."

Long Xi Yue said: "What option?"

Hu Xiaotian looked around, making sure no one was eavesdropping, then lowered his voice: "To be a female monkey that runs all over the mountains."

Long Xi Yue's pretty face flushed, and she involuntarily recalled that night when they fell into the Hollow Valley and said those words: "Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog; marry a monkey, run over the mountains." Hu Xiaotian indeed had not forgotten any detail. Long Xi Yue sighed and said: "There is no choice." (To be continued~^~)