The Quzhao soldiers whipped their heads around, only to see their own flagpole shattered, the banner representing Quzhao falling to the ground and stained with countless dust.
They were shocked and terrified, yet helpless—at this distance, their arrows couldn’t reach their opponent at all.
The shield bearers stood in front, their hands sweating from tension, for it was said that the JinYang army’s repeating crossbows were extremely formidable, capable of piercing shields.
Xia Chanyi watched the Quzhao soldiers, silent as quails cowering behind their shields, a hint of pride flickering across his face. He gave a cold snort, turned without a word, and led his Dragon Shadow Guards away.
The soldiers on the city wall, watching the JinYang army gradually recede, breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at each other in bewilderment, unable to fathom what the JinYang army meant.
Had they come all this way just to shoot down their flag?
By the time Han Ning rushed up to the city wall, Xia Chanyi had already left with his men.
The soldiers on the battlements respectfully handed him a small roll of paper: “County Defender, this is the letter the JinYang army shot over, attached to their arrow.”
They had been too tense earlier, and the arrow too fast, so no one had noticed anything attached to it. Only after the JinYang army left did they discover it and retrieve it.
Han Ning’s eyes darkened as he stared at the holes in the city wall: “The JinYang army fired one arrow and just left?”
The soldier kept his head low, not daring to meet his gaze, and replied respectfully, “Yes, it seems they only came to deliver a message.”
Han Ning felt nothing but humiliation. After a long moment, he looked down at the ‘letter’ in his hand.
The more he read, the tighter his brow furrowed. He turned and went straight back to the county office to discuss the matter with the magistrate.
This was not something he could decide on his own. The magistrate of Shanguan County, Qu Wenzhou, was a relative of the Grand General.
Otherwise, how could such a cowardly, inept man have become the magistrate of Shanguan County?
Shanguan County was a vital transportation hub—not to mention the ample bribes to be had there.
To his surprise, Qu Wenzhou was still alive, as were a great number of officials, soldiers, and the Quzhao nobles and commoners.
Not long after, a carrier pigeon was released toward Ze’a Prefecture—let the Grand General decide on this matter himself.
Far away, thousands of li off in Sizhou, an equal pall of sorrow hung in the air.
Outside the city of Jiu’an, a large number of refugees displaced by disaster had gathered, some lying on the ground, others having set up makeshift tents.
Even more tragic, corpses lay on the ground undiscovered until they rotted, covered in flies and maggots before anyone noticed.
At first, some people helped move the bodies to a distant mountain,
but recently, a plague had broken out among a great many. Now, no one dared approach any corpse, leaving them to stink and decay.
The entire area outside Jiu’an City was filled with a strange, foul odor.
Meanwhile, all four of Jiu’an’s city gates were tightly shut, and soldiers on the walls stood tense and vigilant, watching the refugees outside.
At the southern city gate, a huge crowd of refugees had gathered. They were gaunt, pale, and sorrowful, pleading desperately with the guards.
“Honored officers, have mercy, please open the gates! We don’t have the plague—we just arrived! Give us a way to survive!”
“Yes, yes! Those with the plague are at the northern gate! Please, let us in—we’ll do anything!”
“His Highness the First Prince loves the people like his own children—he will surely save us subjects of Yanguo! We beg you, honored officers!”
Jiu’an was the county seat of Jiji Commandery, and the First Prince, Jiang Chun, was stationed there. That’s why most refugees fled to Jiu’an.
The soldiers on the wall wore cold, numb expressions, standing stiff and upright, deaf to the pleas of the people below.
The once-bustling commercial streets of the city center were now desolate because of the plague.
Only a shop called Fengge Studio, which had sprung up just over a month ago, had two customers browsing goods.
“Brother Chen, this glass cup of yours is really excellent. I used it to entertain guests last time and it earned me a lot of face. Pity I accidentally broke two of them.”
The speaker was a lean man holding a glass cup, stroking it with admiration in his eyes.
He was Qiu Tai, the owner of the largest pharmacy in the city.
Qiu Tai knew nothing about medicine, herbs, or business, yet his pharmacy ran steadily and flourished—all because his father was an imperial physician.
If the First Prince ever ascended the throne, his father, Qiu Dao, would surely secure a post as Chief Imperial Physician.
Chen Xi smiled and said, “Then it’s our Fengge Studio’s honor. Feel free to pick a few more to keep in stock. And some of these glass bottles are quite nice—you can put plum blossoms in them come winter.”
“It’s a pity this year’s plum blossoms might not be available,” sighed the man standing to Qiu Tai’s left.
He was Kang Yun, son of grain merchant Kang Zheng, and a collateral member of the Kang family.
Chen Xi shook his head: “I’m sure they’ll bloom—rest assured.”
Qiu Tai laughed heartily: “That’s what I love about you, Brother Chen—so optimistic! Then I’ll stock up on more glass bottles. Come next spring, I can put peach blossoms in them.”
“Peach blossoms?” Kang Yun teased. “Could Brother Qiu be hoping to admire peach blossoms with Lady Hua?”
The “Lady Hua” he referred to was Hua Ruo, daughter of Chariot and Cavalry General Hua Yuanyi, and the object of Qiu Tai’s affections.
But Hua Ruo was a formidable martial artist, especially with the double blades she wielded with divine skill.
She naturally had no interest in the weak, scholarly Qiu Tai.
Qiu Tai, being a man of letters, believed that sincerity could move even stone. So he found an opportunity and poured out his heart to Hua Ruo with utmost sincerity.
Then Hua Ruo poured out her sincerity—and beat him up.
Qiu Tai spent half a month recovering. After his injuries healed, he made a second, even more sincere confession.
This time, Hua Ruo’s beating was equally sincere, sending Qiu Tai to bed for two months.
This so enraged Qiu Dao that he went straight to the First Prince to lodge a complaint. Before the prince could say anything, Hua Yuanyi rushed in, knelt down, and begged for forgiveness.
“It is all this minister’s fault—I failed to maintain public order in the city, allowing some brazen young scoundrel to harass a woman. Though city security is not my responsibility, I still feel deep guilt.”
The First Prince was speechless: “If it’s not your responsibility, why are you begging forgiveness?”
Qiu Dao was equally dumbfounded: “Brazen young scoundrel? Who are you talking about?”
“However,” Hua Yuanyi’s tone shifted, “fortunately, the one harassed was my own daughter, who has some martial skill, so she wasn’t humiliated.”
“Your Highness, now that wolves surround us on all sides, city order must be taken seriously. Those idle young ruffians must be severely punished, to prevent chaos inside the city.”
Qiu Dao couldn’t hold back any longer: “General Hua, what do you mean? It was your ferocious daughter who beat my son—he’s still lying in bed, unconscious! And now you’re turning black into white?”
Hua Yuanyi pretended he had just noticed Qiu Dao and sneered: “So it was your brat harassing my daughter? Drag him out here and let me split him in two with one stroke.”
“I propose sending all such loafers to the front lines as shock troops, putting their talent for fighting to good use.”
Qiu Dao was furious and wanted to argue, but the First Prince hastily intervened to smooth things over: “Both of you are my right and left arms—do not let this matter harm our harmony…”
Under the First Prince’s mediation, the issue naturally fizzled out.
But because of this, Qiu Tai and Hua Ruo became the talk of Jiu’an’s high society—fuel for gossip at every tea table.
Now, hearing Kang Yun’s teasing, Qiu Tai showed no displeasure; instead, he seemed rather proud.
“Heh heh, the woman I’ve set my heart on is fierce by nature. Once I get hold of an awe-inspiring suit of armor, I’ll confess to her again—I’m sure I’ll succeed this time.”
