The Slender Waist-Chapter 154 - 114 If I Fall in Battle

The man was taken away, and the onlookers gradually dispersed in small groups.

The Empress Dowager Li’s scandal was about to spread through Andu once again.

He Qia took a deep look at Feng Yun and sighed.

He didn’t even dare to think about how the one in Jiafu Hall would fly into a rage upon hearing the news, and how many would suffer as a result.

When the storm of blood and violence descended, would Feng Shi Er Niang still be able to stay out of harm’s way?

He Qia felt that Feng Yun should not have acted as she did.

Why did the egg insist on colliding with the rock? Wasn’t that just asking for trouble?

He sighed heavily then sat down to begin writing a letter.

-

When Feng Yun returned to Huaxi Village, Ren Rude promptly came to visit.

He brought lavish gifts and offered a deep bow upon seeing Feng Yun.

"I owe you a great deal today, my household and I were in peril."

Feng Yun smiled slightly, "What are you talking about, Mr. Ren?"

Ren Rude sighed, "We are from Qi, and if we had caught the attention of the Imperial Cavalry Division, escaping would have been very difficult... In any case, you have shown great kindness to my master and servants."

Feng Yun shook her head with a smile, remaining silent.

Ren Rude narrowed his cunning eyes and asked:

"I returned to the Andu teahouse last night and am still unclear about what happened. Could the lady perhaps enlighten me?"

Feng Yun had already made arrangements with Jin Ge. She said calmly:

"How Jin Ge and Tie Ma came to the farm tool workshop, I didn’t know beforehand; I even thought it was Mr. Ren who had told them to give special attention to our Yun Niang..."

Seeing Ren Rude’s embarrassed expression, she smiled again slightly.

"Fortunately, they arrived just in time to witness the Zhang brothers trying to assault Yun Niang..."

She hesitated for a moment as she spoke.

"It involves a woman’s decency, I’d better not go into details. Essentially, we were lucky that Jin Ge and Tie Ma were there, otherwise Yun Niang might not have survived."

Ren Rude responded with a perfunctory comment and then joked:

"At that hour, why wasn’t the lady asleep but instead at the farm tool workshop?"

Feng Yun forced a laugh, "Not asleep? I was deeply in a game of chess with Duke Zhou when a patrolling soldier came to report that Jin Ge and Tie Ma were fighting the Zhang brothers, and I hurried over..."

She knew Ren Rude harbored many doubts.

With Jin Ge and Tie Ma’s martial skills, ordinary people couldn’t overcome them, let alone kill one outright.

Yet today, Zhang Erbing had claimed they were Imperial Cavalry insiders...

The Imperial Cavalry was selected from the elite of the Imperial Guards, how could they be mediocre?

The whole affair was thus satisfactorily resolved.

Feng Yun spared Jin Ge, and deep down Ren Rude even felt that as she was still foolishly devoted to Xiao Cheng, perhaps he could make another attempt?

Things went surprisingly smoothly.

That night, after Feng Yun had eaten dinner with Azuo and Ayou, she had Xiaoman lead them to rest in the adjacent room.

She sat alone in her room, the lamp lit, waiting.

At the third watch, a gentle knocking came from outside the window.

Feng Yun smiled faintly and opened it to look.

A figure stood in the night, tall and aloof, his eyes filled with helplessness and disappointment.

"Thanks to the lady for her help."

It was Feng Yun who had protected his secret for him.

It was also Feng Yun who fabricated a story on his behalf in front of Ren Rude.

But from now on, he would have a great weakness firmly in Feng Yun’s grasp.

"No need to thank me," Feng Yun slightly tilted her chin up, "I require a reward."

Jin Ge gave a wry smile: "What do you want to know?"

Feng Yun said, "Xiao Cheng."

Jin Ge froze.

He thought Feng Shi Er Niang still pined for the young lord and would ask about his wedding in Tai City or other matters, but Feng Yun said with a smile:

"I want to know how Xiao Cheng deployed his strategies for the battle of Xinzhou?"

Jin Ge’s brow furrowed.

"I’ve been in Andu for some time, haven’t been with the young lord..."

Feng Yun scoffed.

"But Ren Rude is in Andu."

That strategist was most trusted by Xiao Cheng, and she didn’t believe Jin Ge knew nothing.

As expected, after a moment of silence, he lowered his head.

"If I say General Pei is bound to be defeated in this battle, would you believe me?"

Feng Yun felt a jolt in her heart, but her face showed little reaction as she provocatively sneered at Jin Ge.

"Never mind the boast of a 500,000-strong army surely reduced in reality, what makes you think the Qi Army can defeat the Beiyong Army based on their combat strength alone?"

Jin Ge’s expression darkened.

He was one of Xiao Cheng’s men, his heart was with his Lord.

Hearing Feng Yun discredit Xiao Cheng and the Qi Army in such a way, he naturally bristled.

"Before battle, it’s not just courage that matters, but also wisdom and strategy. And the third son’s strategies are not inferior to anyone..."

"Oh," Feng Yun’s expression was mocking, as if she had heard a joke, she looked down and fidgeted with her fingers.

"Xiao Cheng, aside from being a bit clever and playing with women’s emotions, what strategies can he realy have?"

Jin Ge said with a cold face, "The three generals leading the Beiyong Army, Pei Jue’s left and right arms, all have spies placed by the young lord. What does Pei Jue have to compete with the young lord?"

Feng Yun’s heart clanged.

This time, her expression truly faltered.

Her eyes widened in shock, staring incredulously at Jin Ge.

The three leading generals, are they the same three who backstabbed Pei Jue in her previous life?

No!

The precondition for the events of her previous life was that she had found leverage over those three, which forced them to betray Pei Jue and defect to Xiao Cheng. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

They were reluctant to do so...

And this was something that would only happen three years later...

How did Xiao Cheng learn about the private affairs of those three generals, and by what means did he threaten them to betray Pei Jue?

Those were people Pei Jue had treated like his own brothers!

Without such an occurrence, how could Pei Jue have been forced to flee to Pingcheng in her previous life?

Once Jin Ge left, Feng Yun could no longer fall asleep.

She sat in front of the lamp writing letters, only to tear them up after finishing, write them again, and tear them up again.

Unbeknownst to her, a light rain had begun to fall outside the window.

If she sent a letter to tell Pei Jue that his three brothers were going to betray him, Pei Jue would probably think she was trying to sow discord. Even if she mentioned Jin Ge, her intentions and stance would be even harder to explain...

But not saying anything would probably be too late.

Before Feng Yun could figure out how to convey the message to Pei Jue in a way that would be believable to him, dawn had just broken when Alou came limping to her door, out of breath.

"My lady, a messenger has arrived!"

There was a jump in Feng Yun’s eyelids, "Okay."

The messenger was waiting anxiously in the corridor.

It wasn’t Zuo Zhong, but Cao Kai from the Imperial Guard Camp, whom Feng Yun had met twice before.

Upon seeing Feng Yun, Cao Kai immediately stepped forward to salute, then handed her the letter he was carrying.

"A letter from the General, for your eyes only, my lady."

Upon hearing this, Feng Yun knew the situation was urgent.

She asked, "How is Xinzhou?"

Cao Kai hesitated, "My lady will know once she reads the letter."

Clearly, Pei Jue had instructed him not to speak freely of matters at the battlefront.

Feng Yun nodded, a sudden unease arising in her heart.

Pei Jue normally wouldn’t send her letters.

Something extraordinary must have happened in Xinzhou...

Feng Yun held back her anxiety and opened the letter to read.

"In this battle, we are committed to the end. If I fall, you must immediately take your troops and guards to seek refuge in Yunchuan’s Yunling City, present this token to the city lord, Elder Zhongli, and he will ensure your safety..."

This was the longest letter Pei Jue had ever written to her.

He didn’t mention the details of the battle.

But the writing on the letter was very sloppy, clearly indicating that the scribe was in a rush to attend to other matters, with the final stroke almost missing the paper entirely.

Only now did Feng Yun realize that the letters Pei Jue had sent her before were actually written with care.

It was also evident that Pei Jue did not underestimate Xiao Cheng or the importance of this battle.

Of course, in her previous life, there was no such event as the Qi Army attacking Xinzhou City...

The entire situation had changed.

Feng Yun could sense the hostility in Pei Jue’s letter.

Suddenly, Feng Yun thought back to the day Pei Jue left Huaxi Village, to the words she had said.

She had told him to send word if a battle started, so if he were to die, she could prepare in advance.

Now she realized that when Pei Jue had brought twenty elites from the Imperial Guard Camp, it was not only to shield her from Wei Zheng’s vengeance but also to pave the way for her escape.

In times of turmoil, there was nothing more protective than martial power.

A sense of heaviness suddenly weighed on Feng Yun’s heart.

In the past, when she called Pei Jue "my lord", he always kept the hardships away from her.

Regrettably, when Pei Jue drove her away from Andu to Central Capital in her previous life, he never wrote such a letter, nor did he prepare an escape route for her. Otherwise, their ending might not have been as such.

"Auntie, auntie!"

Azuo and Ayou burst in at that moment.

"Did brother send a letter?"

The two children gazed eagerly at Feng Yun, and upon seeing the red rims around her eyes, they were instantly frightened.

"Did something happen to brother... Did brother... die?" Azuo asked, his face pale.

"Wuu..." Ayou’s mouth quivered and tears began to roll down his cheeks.

Children are very sensitive. Adults think they don’t understand, but they are actually very perceptive. Previously, Ao Qi had been sending a letter almost every day, always having endless things to say. Then suddenly, the letters stopped, and even the children noticed something was amiss.

Hearing their cries, Feng Yun quickly composed herself and hugged them both.

"It’s not your brother. He’s fine. It’s your uncle..."

"Uncle died?" Azuo exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.

Ayou’s whimpering cries instantly escalated to loud wailing, smearing tears and snot all over Feng Yun.

Feng Yun was torn between laughter and tears. "It’s a letter from your uncle. Look how worried you’ve gotten, there’s nothing wrong. Stop crying..."

"Oh." Azuo and Ayou finally calmed down.

Feng Yun wiped Ayou’s nose and turned to ask Cao Kai, "Is Guard Ao well for the moment?"

Cao Kai quieted down, his response hesitant.

"Guard Ao followed General Zhu’s vanguard to Bingzhou. A few days ago, they headed to Hongye Valley and lost contact with the main camp. Currently, there’s no news..."

"Wah!" Ayou, who had just stopped crying, opened his mouth and burst into tears again.