Chapter 152
Chapter 152
“Slow down, Daughter.”
Xiao Che hurriedly caught Jin Bao as she flung herself at him.
Sweat covered her forehead from running, and her little face was flushed pink. Two deep dimples appeared in her plump cheeks, making her especially lovable.
“Daddy, an auntie came with something really important to tell you. Baby brought her!”
Jin Bao impishly claimed credit.
Xiao Che tapped the tip of her nose.
“Then invite the auntie inside to speak.”
Jin Bao blinked her sparkling eyes and turned toward Hongying, who stood awkwardly in the courtyard.
“Auntie, come inside!”
She waved a small hand. The setting sun caught the beads of sweat on her skin and surrounded them with halos of orange light.
Only then did Xie Chengyan look at the two women in the courtyard.
One wore clean clothes but still had an apron tied around her waist, so she was likely one of the estate’s kitchen workers.
The other wore filthy rags and had tangled hair, making her look like a beggar.
He addressed them gently. “You have important information to report?”
The women answered together, “Yes.”
“Then come inside and speak.”
With his hands clasped behind his back, Xie Chengyan turned and entered the study.
Holding Jin Bao, Xiao Che swept a glance over the women, followed Xie Chengyan inside, and sat to one side.
The women tugged at the hems of their clothes, lowered their heads, and followed in tiny steps.
Once inside the study, they scarcely dared to breathe, much less raise their heads and look around. They stood stiffly in the middle of the room.
“What are your names? Don’t be afraid. Sit down and tell us.”
Xie Chengyan’s gentle voice eased some of their fear.
They sat on nearby chairs, but neither dared use the full seat. They perched at the very edge, afraid of dirtying the masters’ furniture.
“My husband’s surname is He, and I currently help in the kitchen. This is my cousin, Madam Liu. She has something to tell you, Master.”
Xie Chengyan nodded. “Madam Liu, what do you wish to say?”
Hongying quickly stood. “I… there’s a war where I came from.”
She was so nervous that she did not know where to begin, and her face turned bright red.
The word war made Xiao Che sit straight at once. He was especially sensitive to it.
Xie Chengyan’s expression also grew grave. He had heard nothing about a war inside the Northern Frontier. Could it have broken out beyond the border?
“There’s no need to hurry or be nervous. Speak slowly. Someone, bring tea.”
Xie Chengyan had a servant bring her a cup of warm tea. After taking an uneasy sip, Hongying calmed considerably.
She recounted her ordeal from the beginning.
Xie Chengyan immediately frowned. None of the scouts he had sent out had reported that the Murong Family had gone to war. Had someone sealed off the news?
The Murong Family commanded twenty thousand iron cavalry. Any conflict involving them could not possibly be a minor skirmish and was bound to cause a tremendous commotion. Yet Xie Chengyan’s people had noticed nothing. Who exactly were their opponents?
When neither Xie Chengyan nor Xiao Che spoke, Madam He added, “My cousin said she also saw a man in a black robe. He was very mysterious and held a transparent sphere. She doesn’t know what it was used for.”
This made Xiao Che frown as well. A mysterious Black-Robed Man?
Prince Cheng must have found some extraordinary figure somewhere.
“Madam Liu, how many days passed between Prince Cheng’s first attack and the fall of the city?”
The question came to Xiao Che suddenly.
“Seven days. During those seven days, Tieshan City seized tens of thousands of able-bodied men. But they were nothing more than sacrifices for the Murong Family. Every one of them was pushed to the front to die. My husband died out there.”
Xiao Che knew war was cruel. Forced conscription was commonplace. Whenever a major conflict approached, every region seized able-bodied men. But Tieshan City’s near-extermination of its male population was clearly abnormal. The Murong Family must have known the city would fall and that they could not stop it. To preserve their main cavalry force, they had sent tens of thousands of civilians to die in their place.
Had every member of the Murong Family died in battle, or had they escaped?
“Madam Liu, did you see any sign that the Murong Family’s cavalry was retreating?”
Hongying shook her head. “I don’t know. When the city fell, all of us were too busy fleeing for our lives.”
Xiao Che nodded. A village woman could hardly be expected to know such details.
“Very well. Madam He, take your cousin and help her settle in.”
Xie Chengyan lifted his teacup and took a sip.
Madam He quickly stood. Her lips moved, but she swallowed the words she wanted to say.
“Uncle, this auntie doesn’t have a home anymore. Can you take her in? She’s so pitiful. Let her work with the other auntie, okay?”
Jin Bao looked at Xie Chengyan and made her request in a clear, childish voice.
Madam He gave Jin Bao a grateful look, then followed her lead.
“Master, my cousin came here seeking my help, but my own family can barely put food on the table. Could she help in the kitchen, clean the estate, or do laundry? She can do any kind of work.”
Taking in one more servant posed no problem to Xie Chengyan. He was about to agree at once.
Xiao Che remembered that they were trying to bring women into the valley and turned toward Hongying.
“Madam Liu, even if you stay here, it will only be temporary. Tieshan City has fallen, and Prince Cheng’s army will soon reach this area. It isn’t safe. I know another place where you could spend the rest of your life in peace. Would you be willing to go?”
Hongying’s eyes lit up. She immediately knelt. “Master, as long as I can survive, I will do anything you ask.”
“Are there many unattached women like you? That place currently needs a great many women to help manage it.”
Hongying answered quickly, “Master, do you truly mean that? Several thousand women escaped with me, but bandits are everywhere on the roads. I don’t know what has happened to them now.”
Xiao Che and Xie Chengyan exchanged a look. This was truly a timely solution to their most pressing problem. They had been wondering where to find so many women willing to settle in the valley. Now they no longer had to worry.
“Madam Liu, would you be willing to help us find out where those women went?”
“Yes, I would. We’re all unfortunate people. If they learn there is such a place, they will certainly go. The world outside is in complete chaos. Everyone hopes to find somewhere safe to build a life.”
Having suffered herself, Hongying understood their hardships better than anyone. She was willing to help all the women she could.
Her answer put Xiao Che’s mind at ease.
Her story, however, still needed verification.
Under cover of darkness, they would have to send someone to Tieshan City and investigate whether the information was true.
If this was a scheme by Prince Cheng, deliberately leaked to throw them into confusion, then Hongying could not be allowed to live.
In troubled times, any information brought by a stranger had to be examined with care.
Madam He led Hongying away and handed her over to the female steward, who found her a place to stay while she awaited further summons.
Xiao Che immediately called for Ye Yi.
His lightness skill was the finest among the Shadow Guards, and he was also the fastest at gathering intelligence.
“Valley Master.”
“Ye Yi, travel to Tieshan City tonight and investigate the Murong Family’s current situation. Be careful. There is a mysterious Black-Robed Man whose movements are unpredictable.”
Ye Yi accepted the order and departed at once.
Prince Cheng’s sudden war in the Northern Frontier would churn the entire region into chaos. By striking the strongest Murong Family first, he had issued both a warning and a declaration of war.
The Northern Frontier was about to descend into complete turmoil.