Chapter 40
Chapter 40
When Xiao Che and Xiao Jinghao returned, each of them was carrying a wild chicken and a hare.
Nanny Chen stepped forward of her own accord, took the game from them, and went off with Lu Shuangshuang to dress it.
Xiao Jingmo hurried over and pulled Xiao Che and Xiao Jinghao aside.
He told them everything Jin Bao had discovered.
“In that case, we’re going to have a busy night,” Xiao Che said.
He glanced at the city wall gradually disappearing into the night and thought of Xiao Jingmo’s speculation. Could the person behind all this, the one who wanted to harm him, really be Prince Cheng?
As if he had seen through his father’s thoughts, Xiao Jingmo said, “Father, I don’t think this is the work of the person behind the scenes.
“Since this person has colluded with the bandits of Black Bear Ridge, and more than once at that, it means they hate us for ruining their plans last time.
“They want revenge on us, and they’re using the chance to wipe out Black Bear Ridge as well.”
Xiao Che looked at Xiao Jingmo. “Mo’er, you said you had a plan just now.
“Tell us. We’ll consider it together.”
“Father, I think we can turn the bandits of Black Bear Ridge against them. As long as they know someone is using them, they won’t cooperate with the act. No one is stupid enough to walk right into their own death.”
Xiao Che felt this method was dangerous.
“I don’t think the people of Black Bear Ridge will necessarily believe us.”
“Father, let me go persuade them first. Even if they don’t believe me, I can still buy time for your operation and delay the general inside the city from sending out troops.
“Father, do you have any way to enter the city tonight and notify General Cai? We can turn their plan around and coordinate from inside and outside in reverse.
“Perhaps we can capture this traitor outright and eliminate the threat completely.
“Shanhai Pass is Great Xia’s final barrier. If even Shanhai Pass has been infiltrated by traitors, then Great Xia is not far from destruction.”
Jin Bao happened to hear Xiao Jingmo’s words. She rushed over and hugged Xiao Jingmo’s leg.
“Second Brother, everyone says Daddy is the War God. Does that mean Daddy is the best fighter?”
The little girl clung to Xiao Jingmo’s leg and lifted her small face, her expression innocent and her eyes full of confusion.
Tilting her little head, she asked in a soft voice.
Xiao Jingmo bent down, picked her up, and tapped the tip of her tiny nose. “That’s right. Daddy is very good at fighting lots of people at once.”
“Then why doesn’t Daddy become the Emperor himself? The current Emperor is a big dummy. The people don’t like him. They all like Daddy.”
Xiao Jingmo quickly covered Jin Bao’s little mouth. He turned to look behind him, and only when he saw no one looking their way did he let out a breath of relief.
“Little Sister, you can’t say things like that carelessly. If those words reach the Emperor’s ears, our whole family will die.”
Jin Bao quickly stuck out her little tongue. “Second Brother, Baby won’t say it anymore. But Baby still thinks Daddy is the strongest.”
Hearing his daughter praise him like this, Xiao Che was already bursting with joy inside. He took Jin Bao into his arms.
“So Daddy is that amazing in Jin Bao’s heart?”
“Yes, yes! So when is Daddy going to become the Emperor?
“If he becomes the Emperor, he can protect even more people.”
“Little Sister…”
Xiao Jingmo was rather helpless. Had this little thing listened to a single word he said?
Wasn’t this basically urging the Xiao Family to rebel?
They had been framed to begin with. If they rebelled now, then the false charge would become real, and the reputation the Xiao Family had built over generations would be completely destroyed in their hands.
His little sister was still young. Even if he explained these things to her now, she would not understand.
Jin Bao narrowed her eyes and giggled. She covered her little mouth with both hands, then blinked her big eyes at Xiao Jingmo to show that she would not say it anymore.
Xiao Che returned to the matter at hand.
“Tonight, I’ll avoid the guards and see if I can get into the city. If I can’t, we’ll have to think of another way.”
The walls of Shanhai Pass were solid and towering, unlike those elsewhere, and the guards were extremely strict. It would not be easy to get in. They also had no tools for scaling walls, so it would likely be very difficult.
“Baby can do it. Baby knows how to climb walls.”
When Jin Bao heard there was excitement to join, she immediately patted her little chest and volunteered herself.
Xiao Jingmo and Xiao Che exchanged a glance. Jin Bao was indeed very suitable. The only thing was that she could only climb the wall. Even if she got into the city, where would she find Cai Hong, and how would she deliver the message to Cai Hong? Those were all problems.
“Mo’er, I plan to take Jin Bao with me. She has her own advantages. If I can’t enter the city, we’ll let Jin Bao go in and deliver the message. The problem is, we’re unfamiliar with General Cai’s residence.”
Jin Bao immediately nodded as well. “Baby can do it. Baby can see it from here, so Baby doesn’t need to ask for directions.”
Jin Bao pointed at her little head.
Xiao Jingmo figured that even if they refused to let her go, they probably would not be able to stop her. His little sister had a stubborn streak. She looked obedient on the surface, but in truth, she had ideas of her own. She would agree to your face, then turn around and do whatever she wanted anyway.
In that case, it was better to tell her in advance exactly what she should do.
Xiao Jingmo glanced at Xiao Che.
“Father, I think it can work.”
Since the decision had been made, Xiao Che tore a strip of cloth from his robe, bit his finger, and wrote a letter in blood. He tied it to Jin Bao’s arm in a dead knot, so there was no need to worry about Jin Bao losing it.
It could serve as a backup plan.
“Lord Marquis, young masters, young miss, the roast meat is ready. Come eat.”
Nanny Chen called out. Jin Bao sniffed with her little nose. “It smells so good! Baby wants meat!”
Two roasted chickens and two roasted rabbits left everyone eating until their mouths were shiny with oil.
From far away, Madam Chen caught the scent and could not help rubbing her flattened, hungry stomach. She had planned to pout and go act spoiled with Xiao Yan.
Unexpectedly, before she could even lean her face over, Xiao Yan swung a fist at her.
“You ugly hag, who are you trying to scare to death in the middle of the night?
“Get the hell away from me. If you hadn’t offended the Main Branch, we could’ve gotten some chicken too.”
Madam Chen felt terribly wronged. She had been the one made to play the villain in everything.
Rumble-
With flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, raindrops the size of beans struck the oiled paper cloth, pattering loudly.
“It’s raining!”
Summer rain came fast and fierce. The heat of the day was quickly washed away by the downpour.
Nanny Chen took the padded coats out of the bundle and covered Old Madam Xiao and Pei Wanqing with them.
Madam Chen and the others immediately hid in the woods. They did not have any oiled paper cloth.
Xiao Che went to find Zhu Laosan. No one knew what he said to him, but Zhu Laosan and Li Si handed over all their daggers to him, then returned to their tent and did not come out again.
Only after Zhu Laosan left did Xiao Che tell everyone what was going to happen that night.
Pei Wanqing held Jin Bao tightly.
“Husband, it’s pouring outside, and Jin Bao is still so young…”
“Mother, Jin Bao isn’t afraid of the rain. Jin Bao has the rain gear Second Brother made.”
Xiao Jingmo quickly used the oiled paper cloth to piece together a makeshift raincoat, wrapping Jin Bao up completely.
Only then did Pei Wanqing let go of Jin Bao. She reminded her over and over that she had to be careful, that if there was danger, she had to run at once and not push forward to watch the excitement.
Jin Bao looked as if she had listened to every word, but Pei Wanqing knew this little one had simply let it go in one ear and out the other. She had probably not taken a single word to heart.
Still, her daughter was capable. As her mother, she could not keep restraining her and holding her back.
Late at night, all was quiet except for the sound of rain.
Xiao Che brought his son and daughter out of the tent.
The three split off in two directions. One party went to intercept the Horse Bandits, while the other headed into the city to deliver the warning.
Xiao Che brought Jin Bao to the base of the city wall.
Things went more smoothly than Xiao Che had expected.
They had to thank this heavy rain.
The rain and the darkness became the best cover for father and daughter. The guards on the city wall had their vision hindered; beyond ten meters, it was difficult to make anything out clearly.
“Good girl, follow behind Daddy.”
Wrapped in oiled paper cloth, Jin Bao stood quietly behind him, a tiny little bundle. If she did not move, it was hard to notice there was even a person there.
“Daddy, Baby remembers.”
Xiao Che took a deep breath, then suddenly gathered his strength. With a step against the city wall, he leaped more than ten feet upward.
He gripped a dagger in each hand. Just as his body was about to fall, he stabbed the daggers into the wall to gain purchase, then propelled himself upward again.
Jin Bao tilted her head up and saw that her father had already gone far ahead. Only then did she begin climbing the wall.
Though Jin Bao started later, she was like an enormous spider, and she soon caught up with Xiao Che.
Half an hour later, the two successfully landed inside the city.
“Report! General, all troops have assembled.”
The moment Xiao Che landed, he heard movement up ahead. Holding Jin Bao, he swiftly climbed onto the roof of a shop by the street.
On the street, several thousand soldiers had already fallen into formation, armed and ready to move out.
Xiao Che’s heart sank. He narrowed his eyes at the leader standing at the very front of the formation, but in the rain, it was truly difficult to identify him.
“Daddy, it’s him. He’s the big bad man, the big bad man who delivered the letter.”
Jin Bao had seen this man in the scene before. It was Yang Xianwen.
Xiao Che’s expression turned grave. He knew they had to hurry and find Cai Hong now.
These people had not set out yet, which meant the Horse Bandits probably had not arrived either. It seemed Mo’er had delayed the Horse Bandits and bought them time on this side.