Surviving in the General's Mansion - Chapter 119

Xia Heng told the girl who was still in bed to hurry up, get dressed, and leave. While she did so, Xia Heng ran to the neighboring rooms and the floor above, gathering Mo Qing, Deputy General Zhang, Zhao Siyan, and Zhao Die—who were all searching for Xiao Yaqing—into the private room.

“Do you know of any mountainous places roughly four to six hours by carriage from the capital?” she asked.

The question came entirely out of nowhere. All the women shook their heads.

Deputy General Zhang frowned. “That time frame covers a broad area. There are mountains to both the east and north. Which direction do you mean?”

Xia Heng was stumped. How was she supposed to choose between two directions?

After only a moment’s thought, she said, “Whichever way can lead to Tujue!”

Mo Qing replied, “Both routes can lead to Tujue…”

“You’ve traveled them?” Xia Heng immediately pressed.

“Over the years, when I accompanied the General on campaign, we usually took the main roads. But on a few occasions, we crossed those two mountains while carrying out other missions.”

At this point, Xia Heng could no longer worry about exposing herself. She took out the crude sketch she had copied in the privy and handed it to Mo Qing.

Every extra moment placed Yaqing in greater danger. Xia Heng was also afraid Huyan Lie might flee again before they caught up.

“Look at this. Do you recognize the route? Which side is it on?”

Mo Qing studied the abstract drawing with a troubled expression. He might not have been as directionally challenged as Mo Bai, but there was no way to identify a location from a sketch this rudimentary.

Xia Heng read the answer on his face and asked anxiously, “Does anyone else know the roads?”

“When it comes to recognizing routes and memorizing military maps, no one surpasses the General.”

Xia Heng made the decision on the spot. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

“How do you know Miss Xiao is on a mountain?” Mo Qing asked, puzzled.

Chuqing stood to one side wearing the knowing expression of someone who had seen through the whole mystery.

“She has a special technique for finding her way!”

With that, she winked at Xia Heng. Every line of her face said, *I knew you were lying when you denied it before! I’ve caught you now, haven’t I?*

Only then did Xia Heng remember the misunderstanding at the hunting grounds. Then she thought about where she had just claimed she was going and swallowed her rebuttal with tears in her heart.

*Damn it! Xiao Yaqing, you have no idea what I’ve sacrificed for you!*

They found Cang Chuli at the Xiao Mansion. Wait—was that Dongfang Wei beside him?

Xia Heng stared in disbelief at the man beside Cang Chuli, who was dressed from head to toe in riding clothes.

His complexion looked remarkably healthy. Had he been eating ginseng?

Madam Xiao had fainted outside earlier and had been brought home. Xiao Huan was attending to her nearby.

Dongfang Wei had only just arrived as well. When he saw the group approach, he hurriedly asked, “Did you find her?”

They all shook their heads. Xia Heng pressed her lips together and edged closer to Cang Chuli.

“General, may I have a word in private?” she whispered.

Seeing the tension in her expression, Cang Chuli followed her a few steps away from the crowd and into a side hall.

Once Xia Heng made sure no one else was present, she took her little notebook from her clothes, opened it, and held it out before him.

“General, take a look. Do you recognize this place?”

Cang Chuli frowned at the abstract line drawing and the familiar, ugly handwriting. Xia Heng hastily added, “It’s a mountain about four to six hours by carriage from the capital, on a route that leads toward Tujue. Can you tell whether it’s east or north?”

Cang Chuli shot her a quick glance, then carefully studied her map and markings.

“Mount Biwei, to the east.”

Xia Heng’s eyes lit up. “You’re certain?”

Cang Chuli pointed at one spot she had marked. “We once camped beside this stream. The birch woods you drew are next to it, and there is a large pine tree over here.”

“Xiao Yaqing is here?”

Xia Heng nodded. She was just preparing to invent an explanation for how she knew when Cang Chuli took her crude map straight into the main hall.

“Come with me,” he told Dongfang Wei, Mo Qing, and Mo Bai.

Dongfang Wei immediately asked, “You found her?”

Cang Chuli pursed his lips. “Possibly. We’ll go and see.”

He was about to stride out of the hall when Xia Heng caught hold of his cloak.

“We don’t have enough people…”

She kept her head lowered, not daring to look at him. After uttering the first half of her thought, she seemed to summon her courage and quickly peeked up at him.

“We ought to take at least three hundred.”

“Mo Qing, mobilize three hundred Personal Guards.”

“And don’t forget weapons…” Xia Heng added softly.

Even Dongfang Wei turned to look at her this time, but Cang Chuli simply pulled her along with him.

When they reached Zhuxiao, Xia Heng had yet to realize what was happening. Cang Chuli put a hand around her waist and lifted her in one smooth motion, setting her directly on the horse.

Then he mounted behind her and handed the little notebook back.

“Everyone, bring torches and weapons. Mount up and stay close to me.”

Lowering his head, he told Xia Heng, “Hold tight and watch the road. Hyah!”

He squeezed Zhuxiao’s flanks with both legs, and the horse shot forward. Dongfang Wei and the others followed close behind.

Xia Heng had intended to ride in a carriage with Chuqing and the others. She had never expected Cang Chuli to simply hoist her onto a horse.

Her mind still remembered Xiao Yaqing’s request, and she shouted back toward Qiulin and the others, “Remember to bring some food!”

Qiulin had no idea what she intended, but she bundled up some pastries from the Xiao Mansion and quickly climbed into a carriage.

Zhao Die asked uneasily, “How did a clue appear so suddenly? Is it reliable?”

Chuqing said proudly, “Didn’t I tell you after I came back last time? None of you believed me!”

Zhao Siyan could not immediately recall what she meant.

Chuqing lowered her voice mysteriously again. “Do you know where Xia Heng went at the brothel just now?”

Zhao Die and Zhao Siyan both shook their heads. Chuqing looked toward Qiulin. After a moment of silence, Qiulin answered, “…The privy.”

“See? I was right! Ah Heng must have denied it last time because she was embarrassed!

“Sigh… She won’t be able to hide it from the General now. Let’s keep her secret for her. At the very least, we can’t let outsiders find out.”

The other three women in the carriage looked at her with indescribable expressions. *You’re the biggest blabbermouth here, all right?*

Xia Heng nearly froze solid on horseback. But riding was certainly faster than traveling by carriage, so she gritted her teeth and endured it. Time was life!

Before long, Zhuxiao slowed.

Xia Heng shifted her stiff neck and was just about to turn around and ask what was wrong when a black cloak dropped over her.

Cang Chuli saw that she seemed frozen stupid and was not even moving, so he reached around her and fastened the cloak ties himself.

“Have you forgotten how to speak when you’re cold?”

Then he urged the horse onward, and Zhuxiao broke into another gallop.

Riding alongside them, Dongfang Wei narrowed his eyes at the sight.

With some difficulty, Xia Heng worked one hand free and pulled the hood over her head. Cocooned in the warm cloak, she thought, *The General is so considerate toward his subordinates! Who says he’s cold and heartless? It’s all prejudice! Once I get back, I’ll clear his name!*

The group rendezvoused with the Personal Guards at the city gate and set out together. They had been riding for less than an hour when they found Zhuzi lying beside the road.

The temperature had plummeted as soon as the sun went down. The cold had awakened Zhuzi once earlier.

After regaining consciousness, he had meant to hurry back and report to the mansion at once. But after two failed attempts to rise, he discovered that his right leg appeared to be broken.

Perhaps it had been pinned beneath him too long, or perhaps the limb had frozen numb. When he first woke, he had not even felt the pain.

Zhuzi was stranded in the middle of nowhere. When he lifted his head, all he could see were the moon and stars overhead.

With no other choice, he could only crawl to the roadside and wait, hoping someone might pass in the middle of the night and give him a ride.

If no one came tonight… he might well freeze to death.

By the time they dismounted to examine him, Zhuzi had already lost consciousness again. He was also burning with fever.

In the torchlight, Cang Chuli saw the unnatural bend in his lower leg and frowned.

“His leg is broken. Send him back for treatment first.”

“Yes, General.”