Brighten the Hall.
Bang—!
Half the carriage body sank into the dirt ditch, miraculously not overturning.
Several sturdy light cavalrymen simultaneously pulled on the carriage reins from all directions. With one side of its wheels pointing skyward, the small carriage tilted precariously, stuck in the middle of the ditch.
The carriage jolted.
The tall, burly personal guard who had once disguised himself as the Yang family coachman and tricked the Wei Family master and servant into boarding the carriage late at night jumped onto the vehicle, taking the driver’s seat.
The guard turned back with a simple, honest smile:
“The master ordered me to watch over the carriage. Second Miss Wei, rest assured, the carriage didn’t overturn.”
Nan Yang leaned against the carriage window, her face pale: “…Ugh!”
Luckily, the carriage only crashed and made her vomit, but it didn’t flip.
Thank your master Marquis Xiao and his whole family.
…She only dared to curse in her heart.
In an instant, the light cavalry under Huaiyang Marquis surged forward like a black tide, surrounding the small carriage with its wheels half-pointed skyward, leaving no gaps.
Nan Yang and Grandma supported each other, climbing weakly out of the ditch, their hands and legs trembling.
It felt as though hoofbeats surrounded them from all directions, with Huaiyang Marquis’s men everywhere.
Upon closer inspection, there were only thirty or forty riders—not a large number.
But the horses were sturdy warhorses, nearly as tall as a person, and each rider was an armored, robust light cavalryman.
Neither Nan Yang nor Grandma was tall.
Dozens of enormous shadows cast down from above, enclosing the Wei Family master and servant in the center of a circle of warhorses. The overwhelming pressure felt as if dozens of scorching suns were bearing down on them.
Grandma nearly collapsed under the strain, her voice trembling: “May I ask, may I ask, all of you…” She couldn’t finish her question.
Nan Yang had to continue: “May I ask why you’re pursuing us? Has Marquis Xiao regretted letting our master and servant go?”
Just as Di Rong’s horse turned to face Nan Yang, she asked again:
“General Di?”
Di Rong’s expression was somewhat complicated.
This was the first time he had seen Nan Yang’s appearance clearly in bright daylight.
This Second Miss of the Wei Family, sent to the countryside to recuperate from illness, was said to be sixteen?
Why was her face and frame so small? Was she truly of age??
Their group of tall, burly elite light cavalrymen, sitting high on horseback, armored and gripping swords, trapping the Wei Family master and servant in a circle… it felt like bullying children.
Di Rong hung his long sword back on the saddle and nudged his horse a few steps away.
“Assign a few men to keep an eye on the Wei Family’s Second Miss. Wait for the master to decide.”
The carriage was still stuck in the ditch, leaving Nan Yang with nowhere to go. Knowing she couldn’t escape, she obediently squatted by the edge of the ditch.
The sky soon darkened completely.
Several campfires were lit, and the soldiers skillfully set up wooden frames, placed pots to boil water, and threw dried rations and wild vegetables into the pots. The aroma of cooked vegetable porridge filled the wilderness.
Ever since the pots were set up to boil water, Grandma’s expression had gradually turned fearful.
She held back from speaking, but her eyes remained fixed on the cooking pots, wide with terror.
Nan Yang also stared intently at the pots.
After a careful look, she whispered to Grandma: “Dried ration and wild vegetable porridge, no meat.”
As soon as these whispered words were spoken, General Di strode over to one of the pots, lifted the steaming lid, and placed a piece of dried meat into the pot.
The aroma of meat spread across the wilderness.
Grandma’s face instantly paled, while the bound Yang family coachman beside them turned ashen.
Both looked as if they were about to vomit.
Grandma’s voice trembled: “What… what kind of meat was put into the pot?”
Nan Yang leaned forward, examining carefully: “A long, red strip of meat. Pork? Maybe mutton?”
Grandma was on the verge of fainting. “It must be the Huaiyang Marquis deliberately trying to intimidate us! That meat… could it be someone we know… could it be Magistrate Yang?!”
The Yang family coachman foamed at the mouth and collapsed unconscious.
General Di remained completely unaware of their speculations. With a wooden ladle, he scooped out two large bowls of minced meat and wild vegetable porridge, steaming hot in his hands, and placed them one by one before the Wei Family’s master and servant.
“You were driving such a small carriage so recklessly! You made us chase after you all the way, worrying endlessly. We don’t have much meat, so you women eat first.”
Two large bowls were thumped down in front of them, the aroma of meat filling the air. Red minced meat floated faintly in the white porridge.
Grandma trembled violently, her eyes rolling back as she silently collapsed backward.
Nan Yang quickly caught Grandma and laid her flat on the ground alongside the unconscious Yang family coachman, urgently pressing their philtrums one by one.
Noticing the commotion, General Di was puzzled.
“They were fine just a moment ago. How did two of them faint in the blink of an eye? The summer heat makes people prone to heatstroke. Quickly, give them some broth and a bit of meat.”
As he spoke, he picked up a large bowl and thrust it into Nan Yang’s hands.
Nan Yang repeatedly refused. “No, no, General Di. Just put the bowl down. It would be better if you put it down.”
General Di stubbornly refused to let go.
Meanwhile, Grandma slowly regained consciousness. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw a large bowl of steaming minced meat porridge shoved right in front of her.
General Di personally held the bowl, his expression blank as he pushed it into Grandma’s hands, leaving no room for refusal.
“What are you staring at? Eat quickly! And serve your young mistress too! Finish the whole bowl, then Marquis Xiao can question you.”
Without a sound, Grandma’s eyes rolled back again, and she collapsed once more.
Nan Yang: “…”
Nan Yang’s scalp tingled, and her arms felt numb as she tugged at Grandma. Though she managed to maintain a semblance of calm on the surface, her inner turmoil was raging like a storm.
“Magistrate Yang…”
Could it be that you really killed him? Turned him into dried meat? And now you’re forcing us, master and servant, to eat it?
Could such brutal methods exist in this bright and just world?
Your Marquis Xiao… judging by his appearance, he looks quite respectable, not like some savage and ruthless demon.
Staring at the red-and-white minced meat porridge, Nan Yang’s voice trembled slightly.
“Magistrate Yang, he—”
“Magistrate Yang is behind, traveling with the lord’s carriage.”
Di Rong remained completely oblivious to the silent breakdown unfolding before him. Seeing that Nan Yang was about to drop the porridge bowl, he swiftly snatched it back, eyeing her with a hint of surprise.
Wei Erniangzi may look young and tender, but she’s quite sharp—she actually guessed that the lord would bring Magistrate Yang back to the capital? I underestimated her.
“The lord will arrive soon with Magistrate Yang.”
Di Rong grew somewhat wary of this “sharp” Wei Er Niang before him and pushed the porridge bowl forward again.
“Eat! This is dried meat saved from the mouths of our brothers. Are none of you going to eat it? If not, I’ll take it back and share it among the men.”
Nan Yang opened her mouth, then closed it again.
“…What kind of meat?”
“Premium air-dried mutton leg!”
“…” Speechless, Nan Yang took the porridge bowl, helped the dazed Grandma sit up, and fed her a few spoonfuls of the thin porridge.
She herself silently finished half a bowl.
Half an hour later, the sky darkened completely, stars hanging low over the vast wilderness.
From the pitch-black night behind them came the thunderous sound of galloping hooves.
The Huaiyang Marquis had arrived.
Over a hundred warhorses swept across the open field like a violent storm, roaring past Nan Yang and stirring up clouds of dust. A magnificent carriage pulled by two horses slowly emerged from the darkness behind them.
Nan Yang, holding her porridge bowl and getting a faceful of sand: “…” She hadn’t even finished eating yet?
Now that the person in question had appeared, no one had time to eat porridge anymore.
Nan Yang clutched her bowl, slightly nervous, her gaze fixed on the luxurious two-horse carriage emerging from the darkness behind them.
The Huaiyang Marquis was unpredictable—first letting them go, then racing to catch up with their small cart.
Though she didn’t know the reason, they had been intercepted before entering the capital, and tonight likely wouldn’t end peacefully.
The Huaiyang Marquis—he wasn’t in the carriage.
From the two-horse carriage, Magistrate Yang’s face appeared, looking half-dead from the bumpy ride, leaning against the window: “Ugh~~!”
The light cavalry swept past like a storm of dark clouds.
The few light cavalrymen guarding them jumped up from the ground and shouted toward the front, where dust and horses were swirling ahead:
“My lord!” “Greetings, my lord!”
Nan Yang turned her head in surprise.
At the far end of the road within sight, a tall black horse was reined to a stop. The rider’s face was unclear in the darkness, but his broad shoulders and narrow waist were visible as he held the reins, with a long sword hanging by the saddle.
General Di had also ridden over at some point.
Stopping in front of the sturdy black horse, he muttered something quietly and pointed in her direction.
Nan Yang: …
What kind of slander are you whispering behind my back, General Di?
You don’t look like the kind of treacherous minister who spreads rumors!
“Look, the young lady sitting by the dirt ditch.”
Di Rong lowered his voice: “That’s the Wei Family’s Second Miss. Don’t let her small stature fool you—she’s sixteen this year.”
“The Wei Family’s Second Miss is quite sharp-minded. She took one look at me and immediately asked about Magistrate Yang. How did she guess we were bringing Magistrate Yang to the capital…”
Ming Wenhuan approached from behind, catching the last two sentences, and chimed in: “Sounds like a clever one.”
Xiao Chengyan tossed his horsewhip to a guard and chuckled, “Clever is good. This marquis enjoys dealing with clever people.”
A deep male voice echoed across the early autumn wilderness:
“Light all the Glazed Lamps.”
“Bring out the Wei Family’s Second Miss, who’s been hiding, and make it bright.”
“Let this marquis see just how clever the Wei Family’s Second Miss is and what skills she truly possesses.”
Nan Yang, holding her porridge bowl, found herself inexplicably surrounded by eight Glazed Lamps, illuminating everything from her wind-tossed hair to her mud-stained shoes and socks.