A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 41

Thunder rumbled, and the carriages sped desperately through the rain.

The carriage wheels dragged through the mud and water, splashing up grime like the misty, dark, and gloomy sky.

The pursuers were close behind, sticking to them like a tail, following step by step.

Two thousand Eastern Palace Guards fought against them, suffering heavy casualties, with only two or three hundred people remaining, clustered together, desperately protecting the one carriage in the middle.

Yong Rong and Dai Qing huddled together, holding Xie Wenjun, shielding her head with their hands to prevent her from being bumped or bruised by the carriage’s jolting.

Their eyes were alert, anxiously scanning in all directions.

After non-stop day and night fleeing, they were already hundreds of li away from Yongdu.

Rong Jun was soaked through by the downpour. Wiping the rain from his face, he gazed ahead at the muddy mountain road.

Fortunately, once they passed this mountain peak, the territory of Yongjia City would be just ahead. The commander of Yongjia City was one of the Crown Prince’s men.

The main road could not be taken. King Qi’s men controlled the checkpoints from Yongdu to Linxia, forcing them onto small mountain trails. They were deliberately trying to block them from reaching Xie Yuan’s fiefdom.

To evade the pursuers, they had been traveling south all the way.

The mountain road was rugged and dark, and with the rain, the wheels often got stuck in the mud, making travel difficult. However, Xie Wenjun was mostly in a coma and could not ride a horse.

They could only push and pull the carriage through the difficult terrain.

Torches wrapped in oilcloth lit up behind them again. They were still far away, scattered like stars and connected into a large area, but they were quickly moving towards them.

“Move quickly! Speed up!” Rong Jun commanded.

The carriage was driven faster.

Yong Rong held Xie Wenjun even tighter. Dai Qing was a little timider, her face deathly pale, clinging to Yong Rong and Xie Wenjun.

The three of them tossed and turned with the carriage’s violent rocking.

The torches in their view grew from tiny specks of light to much larger flames, meaning the group behind them was getting closer.

“Rearguard, hold the line and face the enemy!”

As soon as Rong Jun spoke, the rearguard at the end of the procession detached from the main force, spread out into the forests on both sides, preparing to engage in an ambush.

Suddenly, Rong Jun realized that the path ahead was also a dead end.

At a bend in the mountain road, another group of riders was also raising torches and galloping towards them.

“Form ranks! Face the enemy!” Rong Jun shouted, raising his sword high.

In an instant, the central army split into two rows, forming a battle formation in front of and behind the carriage.

“Is that Lord Rong?” The group ahead got closer, almost on the verge of clashing weapons face-to-face, when Rong Jun finally managed to distinguish a voice.

“Are you General Qing Ge, the commander of Yongjia City?”

“That’s right!”

The people sent ahead to the front city to deliver the message had finally received a response.

“Protect the Princess!” Qing Ge waved his arm towards the people behind him. The Yongjia City garrison troops immediately rode back to meet the pursuers on the road they had come from.

“Lord Rong, I, your humble subordinate, have been slow to arrive and rescue the Princess. I won’t apologize now; let’s first escort the Princess into the city!”

“Thank you for your effort!” Rong Jun returned the salute and followed Qing Ge, galloping towards the city gate.

Yongjia City was located south of the central region. Geographically, it could be considered both South and North, but it was later categorized as Southern due to its multi-rainy weather characteristics.

After entering the city, Qing Ge said, “The relay station might be risky right now. If the Princess and Lord do not mind the inconvenience, you can rest at my residence first. General Chen received a tip that Princess Jiangning was coming south, so she sent a messenger ahead to instruct her humble subordinate to receive and escort you. She will arrive in a few days.”

Rong Jun was perplexed. “Which General Chen?”

Qing Ge was even more confused than him. Were there many generals surnamed Chen in the world?

“The one from the Xuanping Marquis’s family, General Chen Liangyu. Nanzhou has already been pacified, but she is currently detained by the Marquis of Nanjng Heng. However, the messenger said she would be able to arrive within these two days.”

Rong Jun said, “Oh.” He had assumed it was Chen Linjun descending from the North. With the Northern Yi currently deploying troops at the border, Chen Linjun would be unable to leave.

He had actually forgotten about Chen Liangyu, who was still quelling the rebellion in Nanzhou.

Chen Liangyu had fifty thousand troops under her command. With this, she could escort the Princess and the items Emperor Xuanyuan had entrusted her with to Linxia.

The carriage arrived at the Qing Residence, where a side room had already been prepared. Qing Ge seemed a bit awkward. “The residence is simple. I apologize for the inconvenience to Your Highness.”

He was a military man, and his residence was also rough and unpretentious in its decor, with weapons casually left lying around.

“General, you speak too seriously.”

Rong Jun lifted the carriage curtain and helped Xie Wenjun descend. Yong Rong supported her, never leaving her side. Dai Qing’s limbs were somewhat stiff from fear. She held an umbrella, tilting the handle forward, following with uneven steps.

“This…” Qing Ge froze. “Quickly, send for a doctor!”

Xie Wenjun was still unconscious. She spent most of her days sleeping, and the rare times she was awake, she was either staring blankly with empty eyes or trying to harm people.

Rong Jun had no choice but to wrap several layers of hemp rope to tie her hands and feet.

It was only when they entered the city that Yong Rong, unable to bear it, untied the ropes from her hands and feet.

Chen Liangyu’s arrival time was earlier than expected.

They had said she would arrive within two days, but the following evening, she had already reached the south gate of Yongjia City.

Xie Wenjun’s pulse was faint and weak. The doctor could not diagnose the illness and only dared to prescribe some mild calming medication.

Chen Liangyu dismounted at the Qing Residence and ran with big strides. Her cloak billowed on her shoulder, fluttering in the wind.

Qing Ge was currently shouting curses and chasing a doctor out of the residence; this was already the tenth or so doctor he had chased away.

“Where did this quack come from? Can’t you see she’s becoming more and more confused by the day? What kind of calming medicine are you feeding her?”

“How is the Princess?” Chen Liangyu asked.

“Not good.” Rong Jun bowed and said, “It is my failure in duty!”

“What do you mean, ‘not good’?” A chill ran through Chen Liangyu’s palm.

Rong Jun buried his head, ashamed. “It was Wei Qi. King Qi and Lin Zhong conspired and harmed the Crown Prince. His Majesty ordered this humble subordinate and Wei Qi to escort the Princess to Prince Shen’s residence in Linxia. After leaving the city, Wei Qi took advantage of my distraction and abducted Her Highness. I don’t know what methods he used to harm Her Highness. Her Highness is comatose all day, and she even…”

Before he could finish, a woman’s scream came from Xie Wenjun’s room. Chen Liangyu burst through the door and saw a maid covering her chest, her eyes filled with terror, her clothes-stained crimson with blood.

The wound was only slightly higher than a fatal spot.

Xie Wenjun’s hands were stained with blood, and her eyes, like those of a predator, stared straight at the maid, urging her closer.

Yong Rong and Dai Qing also dared not approach, hiding behind the curtain, covering their mouths, and afraid to make a sound.

“Take someone to treat the injury. Everyone out.” Chen Liangyu cleared the servants from the room and closed the door.

Xie Wenjun’s prey in her eyes had now changed to her.

Xie Wenjun’s fingernails were light in color and manicured into a perfect arc. They were a pair of very delicate hands.

Once stained with blood, they looked somewhat ferocious.

That hand reached towards Chen Liangyu’s throat. The jade-white fingernails were like sharp blades, gleaming coldly, aiming to take her life.

Chen Liangyu sidestepped to dodge, circled behind her, and struck the back of Xie Wenjun’s neck with a hand-chop, knocking her unconscious.

She instructed people to remove all sharp objects from Xie Wenjun’s room, not even leaving bowls or dishes. Two or three more doctors came in succession, but they still could not figure out the cause of the illness. They only said her pulse showed signs of aging.

Chen Liangyu flatly denied this.

How old was she? How could she show signs of aging?

The doctors shook their heads, admitting their superficial medical skills, and returned defeated.

The maids were frightened and no longer willing to enter the room to serve.

Yong Rong and Dai Qing had, after all, grown up alongside the Princess, but even when serving her closely, they could not hide their fear.

Chen Liangyu guarded the bedside, using a wet cloth to wipe the blood from Xie Wenjun’s hands.

“Go out now. You all have been traveling hard for a long time. Find a place to rest.”

It was not just traveling; it was clearly an escape for their lives.

Yong Rong and Dai Qing knelt and bowed their heads before leaving the room. They did not go far, simply spreading mats on both sides of the outer door, resting right there on the spot.

The Princess had barely eaten. If she woke up and regained consciousness, someone would need to bring her water and food. Chen Liangyu could not manage alone.

A little while later, Chen Liangyu pushed open the door and said, “Find me a pair of scissors.”

Yong Rong borrowed a pair of tailor’s scissors from a maid in the Qing Residence and handed it to Chen Liangyu through the crack in the door.

The night was silent, and the post-rain chill was heavy. The people of the Qing Residence sent two extra quilts to Yong Rong and Dai Qing to ward off the cold.

Chen Liangyu pulled Xie Wenjun’s hand out from under the quilt. The scissors opened and closed in the gaps between each fingertip, trimming the beautifully manicured nails.

They were cut almost down to the quick.

She then meticulously filed them, producing a shower of nail clippings, until the fingertips were rounded and could no longer cause injury.

After completing all this, she placed Xie Wenjun’s hand back into the quilt, pulled the blanket up, and extinguished the candles, leaving only a small, dim copper lamp behind the door.

She sat on the edge of Xie Wenjun’s bed, sitting in the lamplight.

She lowered her head, sitting motionless.

She did not close her eyes even when the night was deep, just sitting there, keeping watch.

It was because she had been away for too long!

Too long.

The lamplight dimmed. She was about to trim the wick and add some oil when she heard a faint “A-Li” from behind her.

“…Is that you?”

Xie Wenjun had slept for too long, her face slightly turned towards her, still peaceful and serene as always.

Chen Liangyu’s eyes reddened. “Princess…”

The lines of worry etched between her brows had not softened all night.

“I’m going crazy.”