It was pouring heavily that day.
The troops were stationed at the foot of the mountain. Tents were set up, and the cooking smoke had just risen.
In the largest tent, Chen Xuan sat on the main seat. A small map was laid out in front of him, depicting the terrain of Taiyue Mountain.
Xie Yan and Chen Tingfeng were sitting below, whispering to each other.
After a while, Xie Yan looked up at the weather outside and frowned. "The rain is too heavy. It's hard for us to climb the mountain."
Chen Xuan didn't say a word. He still stared at the map, lost in thought.
Chen Tingfeng also looked out following his line of sight. The sound of the rain outside was extremely loud, as if the sky had cracked open.
Taiyue Mountain was not steep, but few people climbed it on weekdays. Thus, the vegetation was lush, and there were many insects and ants.
He squinted and thought for a moment. Suddenly, he said, "What kind of sleeping smoke can spread on a rainy day and still carry the fragrance of flowers?"
Xie Yan sighed and slowly shook his head. "Last time, I searched for all the sleeping potions in the capital. It's rare for them to spread their smell on a rainy day. The few that can do so are all odorless. This sleeping potion must not be from the Central Plains."
But Chen Xuan suddenly looked up, as if he had thought of something. His eyebrows frowned slightly. "If it's such a sleeping potion, it reminds me of a kind of flower."
Xie Yan looked at him. "What flower?"
"A strange flower that only grows in southern Yunnan. It looks similar to an orchid. The locals call it snake - scorpion grass. The petals are non - toxic, but the juice of its stems and leaves is extremely poisonous. If you touch it with your hand, you'll die within a cup of tea's time. However, the petals are non - toxic and even have a floral fragrance. Insects, ants, and poisonous snakes extremely dislike this smell. So, every summer, the locals will go up the mountain to pick the petals, dry them, and grind them into powder to sprinkle around their houses." Chen Xuan said in a deep voice. "But this flower only grows in the deep mountains of southern Yunnan. It's not even sold in the shops of the towns in Yunnan, let alone in the capital."
At this time, Chen Tingfeng walked to the table and stared silently at the terrain. Suddenly, he reached out and pointed on the map. "This group of people is hiding here."
Instantly, it caught the attention of the other two.
Xie Yan quickly walked to his side, looking at the position he pointed out, and asked in confusion, "Why?"
But he brought up another matter. "I've seen that flower. If you mix it with hemp - boiling grass, dry it, and grind it into fine powder, it can spread at least thirty miles with the wind."
"No wonder those people passed out without even seeing the bandits. This potion is really powerful," Xie Yan looked at him and said. "But how can you determine the bandits' hiding place based on this?"
"I calculated it by observing the stars at night," Chen Tingfeng said with a cold joke in a flat voice. "Although this potion is in powder form and will be affected on a rainy day, if the distance is close enough and there is enough powder, it's no problem to knock out an elephant."
"The group led by General Li that day must have been very close to their lair."
Xie Yan thought for a moment and lowered his head to look at the map.
But Chen Xuan didn't pay attention to these. His attention was completely attracted by Chen Tingfeng's words "I've seen that flower".
He looked at him deeply with his eyes. Chen Tingfeng met his gaze. No one knew what they were communicating with their eyes. After a while, Chen Xuan shifted his gaze and let out a very soft but deep sigh.
He learned about this flower when he was on a military campaign in southern Yunnan in his early years. He accidentally strayed into the deep mountains and was saved by a hunter. Chen Tingfeng had grown up in the capital since childhood. How did he know about it?
Chen Xuan always knew that Chen Tingfeng had many secrets and was very smart. Sometimes, when he talked to him, if he was a bit careless, he would be led astray by him. He couldn't help but feel a bit helpless and headache.
If his son was too stupid, he would want to whip him. But if his son was too smart, it wasn't entirely good either. Now he even dared to keep secrets from his father.
He might even keep secrets from his wife in the future!
Chen Tingfeng looked at the sky. It was time for dinner. The dark clouds were dispersing a bit. After noon, the rain would probably gradually subside.
"If we want to go unnoticed, we need to climb the mountain while the rain is heavy."
The only smart thing General Li's group did was to sneak up the mountain during the heavy rain. It was a pity that there were too many of them, and they were too obvious a target, so they were quickly discovered by the other side.
He said, "A thousand people are still too many. Divide nine hundred people into three teams and climb the mountain from different paths. Leave the remaining one hundred people here as reinforcements."
Xie Yan never doubted Chen Tingfeng's decisions. At this time, he also realized the reason. Naturally, he knew that Chen Tingfeng's arrangement was the most reliable. So he said, "In that case, let's have dinner first. After dinner, we'll climb the mountain!"
The rain came and went, but it continued for two days and two nights, pouring to its heart's content.
On the morning of the third day, Lady Bai sat by the window, looking at the clear sky. Normally, the appearance of the sun should be a happy thing, but for some reason, her heart kept pounding and she couldn't calm down.
Nanny Li advised, "Madam, you tossed and turned all night and didn't sleep well. Now you've only taken a few bites of breakfast. You'll wear out your body like this. I've asked the kitchen to stew yam and red - date porridge. Please eat a little. At least it will warm your stomach."
Lady Bai shook her head, with a worried frown on her face. "No, I have no appetite."
"Madam..." Nanny Li still wanted to persuade her, but Lady Bai raised her hand to stop her words. She only said, "The rain was so heavy the past two days that it was difficult to even walk, but my heart was at ease. But last night, as soon as the rain stopped, my heart felt like there was a firecracker in it and just couldn't calm down."
"I'm always afraid that something has happened to them," Lady Bai's face turned a bit pale. "Back then, when Brother Xuan went to fight in southern Yunnan, he was chased and killed all the way into the deep mountains and almost lost his life. I was also so anxious at that time."
"Nanny Li, do you think something might have happened to him again?" She was so panicked that she grabbed Nanny Li's hand tightly, as if holding on to a life - saving straw.
Nanny Li quickly helped Lady Bai sit down and quickly stroked her back, constantly soothing her. "No, no! His Lordship has good fortune. He has survived several close - calls over the years. He's still alive and well. This time, he will surely turn the danger into safety!"
She kept muttering. Nanny Li had accompanied Lady Bai for most of her life. Now, when she hugged Bai Ruochu, it was like hugging her own daughter. Gradually, Lady Bai felt drowsy and fell asleep.
Nanny Li quickly called a maid in to gently help Lady Bai to the bed.
She closed the door, stood there and thought for a moment, then moved her feet and headed towards Zhuqing Courtyard.
Fu Zhen was sitting in the courtyard reading a book. When she saw Nanny Li coming, she was a bit slow to react. After hearing her intention, her eyebrows frowned.
She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then said to Biyu, "Go and tell the gatekeeper to prepare a carriage. We're going to the Zhang Mansion."
Nanny Li got anxious and was about to say something, but was stopped by Fu Zhen. She explained, "Now that Aunt has finally fallen asleep, please trouble Nanny Li to light a stick of soothing incense in the room and let Aunt rest. The Zhang family is a famous and noble family. They must be more well - informed than us women in the inner courtyard. Don't be anxious. I'll be back soon. You just watch over Aunt carefully."
Only then was Nanny Li comforted. She took a cloak from Cuihuan and put it on Fu Zhen, and said gratefully, "It's still the Second Miss who is smart. It's just that I got it wrong for a moment. But it's not safe outside now. Miss, please be extremely careful."