Chapter 228: What Timing!

"One bottle of Muscle-Softening Powder and one bottle of Knockout Drug — enough to keep you all asleep for three days and three nights!"

After saying this, Qingyun looked at the nearby bonfire, thought for a moment, found a few half-wet, half-dry tree trunks and tossed them in; the thick smoke grew larger and larger.

"No good — this way is too slow."

Qingyun's gaze fell on the Horse Carriage. She led a Horse to the edge of the woods, pulled out a hairpin, and stabbed the Horse's leg hard.

"Sorry about this, little fellow."

"Whoa—"

The Horse, in pain, galloped forward, charging into the woods and startling a flock of birds into flight.

She watched the direction in which the Horse disappeared and murmured softly.

"This way they should be able to discover it, right?"

Sure enough, in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she heard the sound of hoofbeats.

Following the sound, she first froze, then her eyes welled up with hot tears.

Really, he's really still alive…

She ran forward.

"Young General Cheng!"

Cheng Chengxuan glanced at the few people unconscious on the ground, then dismounted.

"Tie these few up and take them back, to be dealt with by Grandmother!"

He turned his head to size up the woman before him.

"Who are you? Why did you do all this?"

Qingyun explained.

"I — I am now a consort of the Shunhe Emperor, but before that I was a palace maid in Imperial Consort (Gongzhu)'s palace, and I received much kindness from her."

Cheng Chengxuan nodded upon hearing this, his expression easing considerably.

"So that's how it was."

"Thank you for your help today, and also thank you for those two letters."

Qingyun was about to continue speaking when she heard the latter half and froze for a moment.

"What letters?"

Cheng Chengxuan looked at her in puzzlement.

"The ones warning the Sun Family to be careful of the Sixth Princess, and the one sending news of the Qianlong Guard Camp — weren't they sent by you?"

Qingyun listened, completely baffled.

"I've never sent any letters!"

"Not you? Then who was it?"

……

Under the moonlight, Cheng Chengxuan gazed in the direction of the Capital, standing at the edge of the Camp for a long time.

An Luo came out looking for water to drink, and happened to see his somewhat lonely figure.

"Isn't the army attacking the Capital tomorrow? Why aren't you resting yet?"

"I won't be going tomorrow. If I'm there, Grandmother and the others will be in a difficult position."

Seeing her, Cheng Chengxuan forced a smile, then lowered his head somewhat dejectedly.

"I just suddenly feel a bit lost."

"The Shunhe Emperor, back then, in order to eliminate the Cheng Family, didn't hesitate to collude with enemy nations, letting over a hundred thousand soldiers die tragic deaths — yet now he has become a prisoner too."

"Actually, not a single person in the Cheng Family likes fighting, but in these chaotic times, war can only be stopped by war. The Cheng Family has always gone to the battlefield for Da Yin and its people, yet this time, they were the ones who actively started the war."

His hands clenched tighter and tighter.

"We didn't want innocent civilians to suffer along with us either, but if this grudge isn't avenged, how could we face the souls of my two uncles and the hundred and forty thousand spirits of the Cheng Family Army in heaven?"

As he spoke, his face was twisted with conflict, full of anguish.

"Now I don't even know whether what we're doing is right or wrong."

An Luo, for a moment, didn't know how to comfort him either.

Many things have no right or wrong — they're nothing more than the two words "cause and consequence."

The Shunhe Emperor purely brought it on himself!

But the common people truly are innocent.

"An Luo, do you think power really has that much magic? It can make a person lose the ability to tell right from wrong, become cold-blooded and heartless, and finally become a puppet of power and influence."

Cheng Chengxuan gave a self-mocking smile.

"It really isn't a good thing."

An Luo didn't answer him right away, but bent down and picked up a broken blade from the dirt.

"Look at this blade. It may once have fallen into the hands of mountain bandits who robbed homes, stained with the blood of innocent civilians, or it may have been held by a chivalrous person, lopping off the heads of great villains."

She grabbed Cheng Chengxuan's hand, placed the hilt in his palm, and looked at him seriously.

"We can't control its past, but as long as it's held in your hand, where it goes in the future is up to you to decide."

Cheng Chengxuan looked at the broken blade in his hand and was silent for a while, his hand slowly tightening its grip.

"Up to me to decide?"

"An Luo, thank you."

After his heart was suddenly enlightened, he didn't continue to dwell on it. He gently took An Luo's hand; the moment their palms touched, he slightly furrowed his brow, then gently rubbed and carefully felt for a while.

An Luo's hand was fair, tender, and smooth, so if there were any scars, they would be easy to spot. Upon careful examination, there were several needle pricks on her fingers.

Thinking of the mysterious thing Qiuluo had told him a few days ago, Cheng Chengxuan's heart felt as if soaked in warm honey water.

So warm, so sweet.

Does this prove she's taken him to heart?

How wonderful.

The callused fingertips of someone who had practiced martial arts year-round grazed lightly across her hand, tickling, the itch sinking straight into the heart.

Feeling his scorching gaze, An Luo shifted her hand back uneasily.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

After the joy, Cheng Chengxuan took her hand with a pang of heartache.

"Your hand's already been pricked so many times—no more of this."

He actually found out?

An Luo mentally gave a thorough dressing-down to a certain good-for-nothing who didn't keep his word!

Didn't he promise to keep it secret for her?!

Unbelievable!

An Luo didn't really mind.

"I've barely had any contact with this sort of thing before, and besides, isn't it perfectly normal for a beginner to get hurt a little? Which family's girl learning needlework has never been pricked by a needle?"

"How could that be the same?"

Cheng Chengxuan stepped forward a few paces, carefully cradling her hand in his, his gaze burning.

"What do other people's daughters have to do with me? Here, with me, you don't need to learn these things."

A satisfied smile played at the corner of his mouth as he spoke softly, as if whispering secrets in her ear.

"I know you've taken me to heart—that's enough."

An Luo looked up.

"But I…"

Their eyes met, drowning in those deep, dark eyes, and she suddenly forgot what she was going to say.

The two of them drew closer and closer, enveloped in a cool, crisp aura; An Luo's face grew redder and redder, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.

"Young General!"

Hearing the voice, the two of them stepped back in unison, putting distance between them.

An Luo stumbled over her words.

"I—I'll head back first."

Saying that, she turned and bolted back, covering her beet-red face.

"Why is Miss An here too?"

Looking at the newcomer, Cheng Chengxuan rolled his eyes dramatically and ground his molars.

"You certainly picked a fine time to show up!"

"What did you say, Young General?"

Cheng Xin rubbed his ear.

"Nothing. What is it?"

"Oh, the Old Madam is looking for you."

Hearing this, Cheng Chengxuan's expression grew considerably more serious; he handed the short blade to Cheng Xin.

"I'm going to see Grandmother. This—keep it safe for me."

Watching his retreating back, then glancing at the chipped and broken blade in his hand, Cheng Xin scratched his head in bewilderment.

"What's going on?"

"What's there to collect about this junk blade?"

……

In the Capital, outside the palace walls, Commander Xu led the Imperial Guard in surrounding the palace gates airtight.

The four city gates were held by the Five Cities Military Commission and the city garrison.

Outside the city, a great army had already encircled it.

"Listen up, all of you out there—if you dare attack the city, we'll kill the commoners!"

The moment the Bingma Si's Commander-in-Chief Xiao Tong finished speaking, over a dozen commoners were bound and hauled onto the city wall.

Those commoners pleaded desperately.

"No, my lord, don't kill us!"

"Please, my lord, spare us—we don't want to die!"

Xiao Tong burst into wild laughter.

"Don't want to die? Then beg them. As long as the Cheng Family withdraws their troops, you won't have to die."

Outside the city, seeing this scene, Cheng Sitao gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly his knuckles went white.

"Grandmother, they've gone too far!"

"What do we do?"