Those words were like a clarion call, resounding and irrefutable.
"Alright..." Qinglan said. "This maidservant will go with the Princess of the Heir Apparent."
"No!" Li Wanming shook her head. "You should stay in the mansion. Although the Second Branch was rebuked by the Empress Dowager, she is after all the niece of the same clan as the Empress Dowager. We can't be sure that she won't do something stupid at this time! I need you to watch over her in the mansion for me. If necessary, you can go to Aunt for help..."
Chuntao exclaimed, "I'll go with the young lady!"
"You? You should also stay in the mansion..." Li Wanming frowned. "It's a long way to the Southern Border. It's inconvenient for a young girl like you to follow..."
"No! I must go!"
Chuntao stubbornly raised her tear - streaked face. "The young lady is also a young girl. If she isn't afraid, why should I be? Moreover, the Southern Border is close to Min. I grew up in Min, so I'm sure I can be of help to the young lady!"
Li Wanming thought for a moment. The Southern Border was currently at war, and it was not convenient to travel. They needed to sneak in from Min. Bringing Chuntao would indeed add a capable helper.
"Alright," Li Wanming nodded and then said to Gao Yong, "General Gao, you and Chuntao will follow me out of the capital and head south. As for the rest of the Black Armored Elite Cavalry, tell them to keep an eye on the Prince's Mansion and the Princess's Mansion.
"Remember, just secretly spy on the situation. Report any news to me immediately. Don't act rashly. Leave the public matters to the Prince to handle..."
"Yes, this subordinate obeys the order!" Gao Yong clasped his fists in salute. "We have our own way of communicating to ensure the smooth flow of information. The Princess of the Heir Apparent can rest assured!"
Qinglan's heart tightened. She hesitated and said, "Princess of the Heir Apparent, it's raining heavily now. Should we wait until dawn to leave?"
"No." Li Wanming shook her head. "The battle report has already been sent to the palace. We don't know how the Empress Dowager will handle it... If we wait until tomorrow morning, we may not be able to leave!"
Qinglan immediately understood. "This maidservant will go and pack right away!"
The gong of the fifth watch pierced through the rain curtain. The rain was gradually subsiding, but the wind was still strong. The lanterns under the eaves were swaying wildly, casting fragmented shadows on the blue - brick walls.
Li Wanming tightened her cloak and walked quickly through the corridor. Chuntao followed closely behind, holding a simply packed blue - cloth bundle in her arms.
At the side gate, an unremarkable black - sail carriage was already waiting. The wind lantern hanging on the carriage shaft flickered in the wind.
"Be careful, young lady." Chuntao helped her onto the carriage. The moment the curtain was lowered, Li Wanming looked up at the main gate of the mansion—the gilded copper nails on the vermilion gate glistened coldly in the rain, reflecting the illusory two - month - long newly - wed days, like a dream.
Gao Yong whipped the horse. The horse neighed and rushed into the hazy rain and fog.
The carriage wheels rolled over the puddles, passed through the empty streets, and galloped towards the South City Gate. Soon, they disappeared into the deepest darkness before dawn.
...
The Southern Border was not actually a specific prefecture, county, or city. It was a general term that included Jiangzhong Prefecture, Lingxi Prefecture, and two southern counties of Linyang Prefecture, with a total of about eleven cities.
However, more than a decade ago, after the court ceded Jiangzhong Prefecture and the two counties of Linyang Prefecture to the Anluo Kingdom, the Southern Border actually only had five cities left.
Now, the great army of the Sheng Dynasty was stationed in Lingxi Prefecture, facing off against the Anluo Kingdom.
Although Li Wanming's destination this time was Lingxi Prefecture in the Southern Border, she did not plan to go directly there.
Firstly, the local area was in the midst of war, and it was extremely unsafe. Secondly, the current governor of Lingxi Prefecture was none other than the older brother of Empress Dowager Kang, Kang Chuanyi.
Now, Xiao Jingnan was burdened with the charge of being greedy for merit and advancing rashly, and his life or death was unknown. If she showed up in Lingxi Prefecture rashly, she might be immediately arrested by Kang Chuanyi and escorted back to the capital, and there would be no way for her to find out any information.
After much consideration, Li Wanming decided to go to Min first. Then, from Min, she would head southwest, take the route through Dayi Mountain, pass through the mountain, and directly reach Shou'an City in Lingxi Prefecture.
There was an even more important consideration for choosing this route—this morning, Feng Xiao sent a message saying that Xiao Jingnan had indeed chased a small group of remnant soldiers of the Anluo Kingdom into Funiu Ridge and then fell off a cliff and disappeared.
And Funiu Ridge was exactly at the southernmost tip of Dayi Mountain.
"Since the Marquis of Xuanping is the supervisor of the army, we can't join General Feng's army. We'll have to go first on our own. It's not a bad thing. We'll enter Min by water, traveling light. Maybe we'll even arrive a few days earlier than the army."
She unfurled the deer - skin map, and her slender fingers traced along the ink lines.
"We'll go south all the way from Yeyang, Changyi, and Youping until we reach Huguan Pass. Then, we'll change to waterway from Huguan Pass and go downstream along the Liuqu River. We can reach Tanzhou Prefecture in Min within three days. If we head southwest from Tanzhou Prefecture, we'll reach the Tangli Military Town in Min."
Her fingertip finally landed on the outline of Dayi Mountain and gently tapped it. "To the west of Tangli is Dayi Mountain. Chuntao and I are both familiar with the terrain in the mountain. Once we enter the mountain, the people of the Marquis of Xuanping will never be able to find us."
Chuntao nodded repeatedly. "The Princess of the Heir Apparent is right! Once the two of us enter the mountain, we'll be like two wild monkeys. No ordinary person can find us!"
"After we leave the capital, don't call me the Princess of the Heir Apparent anymore. Just call me young lady." Li Wanming's voice was calm, but the solemn look on her face became even more intense.
The message Feng Xiao sent this morning not only contained the details of Xiao Jingnan falling off a cliff and disappearing but also the sudden changes in the capital—
Empress Dowager Kang was furious and almost punished Prince Ning, Xiao Yuancheng, on the spot. Later, under the strong opposition of the Emperor and the Princess of Chengping, she finally let Prince Ning go. However, she immediately sent people to surround the Prince Ning's Mansion and prohibited anyone in the mansion from entering or leaving.
The sword in the capital was hanging over the heads of the Xiao family, glinting coldly and ready to fall at any moment.
"A commoner is not guilty, but his possession of a jade pendant may be his crime. The loyalty of the former subordinates of the Xiao family is the greatest sin of the Xiao family. Like things grieve for each other. When the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. The Xiao family has spent their lives in the military, but they have ended up like this. I'm afraid that my Feng family will also follow in their footsteps. Therefore, this battle in the Southern Border is a battle of life and death. I hope the Princess of the Heir Apparent will be extremely cautious."
Feng Xiao's letter was actually very short. He just briefly mentioned Xiao Jingnan's disappearance and the situation in the capital, but he rambled on with this long passage at the end.
The meaning in his words was very clear: he hoped that Li Wanming could protect herself and not take risks in the Southern Border.
Empress Dowager Kang's imprisonment of the Prince Ning's Mansion was like whetting a knife. She had already placed the butcher's knife on the necks of the old military officials of the Xiao, Huo, and Feng families. Things had come to this point, and it no longer mattered how the court schemed and strategized.
The truth was out. Both sides had torn off their masks.
At present, the most crucial point was actually in the Southern Border.
If General Feng could win this battle, drive the invading Anluo Kingdom out of the territory of the Sheng Dynasty in one fell swoop, and even recover the six cities in the Southern Border that were lost back then... Then his prestige would reach its peak, and all difficulties would be easily solved!
But if he lost, it would be like a mountain collapsing in defeat.
By then, not only would the former military subordinates of the Xiao, Feng, and Huo families be uprooted by Empress Dowager Kang, but even Zhao Yanke's throne might be in jeopardy.