He Muhao looked utterly confused. "Huh? I have no idea. I'm just here to change General Guo's dressing."
Zhao Yanke continued in grief and indignation. "I could draw a three - dan bow when I was sixteen, and I managed to hunt leopards every autumn during the hunting season... Why does everyone here look down on me?"
"It is a bit strange," He Muhao suddenly said.
"What?" Zhao Yanke was taken aback.
He Muhao scratched his head. "Normally, if His Majesty were to make a public appearance and let all the soldiers in the city know that the Emperor of the Great Sheng is right here, sharing weal and woe with them, it would surely boost the morale of the whole city.
"General Feng must have considered this when he agreed to His Majesty's visit to Yanchuan... Logically, General Guo should have agreed too. It's just about spreading the news, not asking His Majesty to actually go to the battlefield. But I don't know why General Guo doesn't seem to have this intention at all..."
He Muhao put the last porcelain bottle into his medicine chest, shook his head, and said, "Maybe he's afraid that once the news of His Majesty being in the city gets out, there will be danger..."
After saying that, he shouldered his medicine chest and returned to the medical clinic, leaving Zhao Yanke in the hall with a glinting look in his eyes, deep in thought.
It made sense!
Feng Yuanji allowed him to come to Yanchuan. Firstly, as long as Yanchuan held out, there would be no fatal danger. Secondly, he wanted to use his imperial status to boost the morale of the soldiers in times of crisis.
But why, now that Yanchuan was on the verge of falling, did General Guo go to such great lengths to keep his identity a secret?
He Muhao was right. It was just about announcing his identity, not actually going to the battlefield... Why was even this not allowed?
Something was off!
There must be something he didn't know...
Zhao Yanke thought for a while. When no one was looking, he quietly slipped into General Guo's room and hid under the bed.
Soon, heavy footsteps approached, and General Guo returned.
"Everything ready?" His voice was tired and hoarse.
"Ready," replied a subordinate general beside him. Then he hesitated a bit. "General, do we really have to do this?"
General Guo said, "His Majesty's status is too precious. There can't be the slightest mistake. If anything happens to him, General Feng will surely be held accountable. Maybe even the entire Feng family... We have to find a way to send His Majesty back to Shou'an to ensure his safety!"
"But His Majesty won't agree..."
"Yes, I know," General Guo said wearily, rubbing his temples. "I'll be the one to knock His Majesty out tonight... You all act as if you know nothing. Just be responsible for sending His Majesty out of the city. I'll bear all the blame myself..."
Come on!
Zhao Yanke under the bed almost gritted his teeth.
There were Kang Chuanyi's partisans in Shou'an. Even Feng Yuanji had to be extremely careful there. Sending him back now was like walking into a trap!
You're such a "smart" General Guo!
Why didn't he think that if Shou'an were really that safe, why would Feng Yuanji have agreed to let him come to Yanchuan?
But then again, this couldn't be entirely General Guo's fault.
Those dirty political schemes in the court were beyond the knowledge of these front - line soldiers. Who could have guessed that the whole war was just a means for the Empress Dowager to reshuffle the cards?
So General Guo could only act according to his simple thinking, trying to protect the Feng family's army.
Sigh...
Zhao Yanke sighed, shaking his head as he crouched under the bed.
He was loyal, but just a bit too stubborn.
And right now, this kind of stubborn loyalty was about to ruin him.
In the middle of a war, being tied up like a mummy and sent back by his own people as the Emperor - how could he ever show his face again? Not only him, but even the entire court of the Great Sheng might become a laughingstock for the whole world...
No!
Absolutely not!
He had to save himself.
He had to come up with a way... one that wouldn't hurt this loyal official's feelings, but also prevent him from being tied up and sent away...
Zhao Yanke crouched under the bed, thinking for a long time, but couldn't come up with anything...
General Guo was extremely stubborn. Once he made up his mind, he would never change his course, no matter what others said.
If he told General Guo that Shou'an was now as dangerous as Yanchuan, he definitely wouldn't believe it - after all, Yanchuan was in the middle of a war, while Shou'an still seemed peaceful.
So, what if he bypassed General Guo and announced his identity as the Emperor directly?
That wouldn't work either. With General Guo's martial arts skills, he would probably be knocked out before he even had a chance to speak - and without General Guo's endorsement, the soldiers and civilians in the city wouldn't believe his claim. They might even think he was a fraud...
What about...
...running away?
The moment this thought popped into his mind, Zhao Yanke felt his whole world light up.
Right!
He could run away!
He didn't have to go to Qingzhou or return to Shou'an. He could just hide in the Dayi Mountains!
The Dayi Mountains stretched for hundreds of miles. It wouldn't be hard to hide a person there. Why stay cooped up in the city? And with his skills, he might even surprise the Anluo people from the shadows and become a decisive force on the battlefield!
The more Zhao Yanke thought about it, the more brilliant his idea seemed.
He could save his face, gain his freedom, and even have a chance to achieve a remarkable feat... It was definitely better than being locked up in the city, treated like a porcelain doll under strict protection!
Zhao Yanke scrambled out from under the bed. The twilight was deepening outside the window. It was the perfect opportunity.
Great, it's now!
Zhao Yanke slipped out of the government office. He stole two steamed buns from the kitchen and stuffed them into his bosom. Then he carefully made his way towards the city gate.
Outside the city gate, Wan Mo was hoarsely directing the soldiers to deepen the moat, with mud all over her head and face. Everyone was busy, and no one noticed him.
Zhao Yanke held his breath and slipped past the busy crowd along the wall, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.
When he finally stepped on the wild grass outside the city, he let out a sigh of relief.
Zhao Yanke looked back at the city wall of Yanchuan in the firelight, then turned around and plunged into the dark night, running towards the hazy outline of the Dayi Mountains in the distance.
The night wind caressed his cheeks, carrying the unique scent of grass and trees from the forest.
Ah, freedom, here I come!
...
The night was as black as ink. The undulating mountains looked serene yet ferocious in the moonlight.
Zhao Yanke stumbled through the mountains for about an incense - burning time before he gradually realized that forest life might not be for him.
The grass and trees around him rustled in the night wind. The branches of the towering ancient trees intertwined, looking like they were clawing at the air. From time to time, the growls of wild beasts came from deep in the forest, making him shiver.
The night dew was getting heavier, dampening his hair. The cold seeped into his collar like little bugs, making him involuntarily hug his arms tightly.
The lofty ambitions he had when he left the city were now mostly worn away by the gloomy forest.
Zhao Yanke huddled behind a big tree, wailing inwardly: I was too hasty...
He was a pampered imperial treasure who had never lived independently. Where did he get the confidence to think he could conquer a primeval forest alone?
Alas, he wondered if General Guo had noticed his disappearance and if he would send someone to look for him...
Another wolf howl sounded, this time seemingly much closer. Zhao Yanke shivered and instinctively tried to climb the old tree beside him. After two attempts, he remembered: He could draw a three - dan bow, but he couldn't climb a tree...
Woohoo, indeed... I was too hasty...