Chapter 43
A Miscalculation, Captured
When leaving the palace, the Emperor had seemed hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but ultimately held back. At that time, Qi Zheng found it strange – what couldn’t the Emperor just say directly to him? It was only now that he understood. The Emperor must have been hesitating about whether to mention the doubts surrounding Ying Jiuque.
A young lady raised on a manor, neglected by her family, without any proper education, yet she could casually create something of such immense power. This couldn’t simply be described as innate intelligence; it was downright miraculous.
At the same time, Qi Zheng felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. A sense of crisis, source unknown, made his scalp prickle. Such a tremendous explosion actually came from a small jar? One could only imagine how powerful the weapon was. On the battlefield, this single item alone could startle horses, potentially even causing riders to be thrown to their deaths. After all, when moving at high speed, just a small external force could be fatal.
And what had Ying Jiuque said before? That small jar – such a divine weapon – could be made for just one tael of silver?! What had the Ministry of War been doing all these years? Were they less capable than a teenage girl? Even though he had retired, Qi Zheng had heard about the vast resources the Emperor had poured into military preparations over the years. An ocean of silver was invested annually without even a splash, failing to produce a single powerful weapon. They might as well give it to the border troops for better food and supplies.
Of course, this was just angry talk. Qi Zheng knew it was impossible. After all, no one understood better than a battlefield commander like him the impact a powerful weapon could have in war.
With a light tap of his heel, his warhorse, understanding his intent, surged forward, chasing after the wobbling figure ahead. Although he was full of questions, the urgent priority was still to find his child quickly! After that… after that, he would go see the Emperor. As a military man, even retired, how could he idly wait after witnessing such a divine weapon? He absolutely had to ask if it could be reproduced!
Jiuque was puzzled. This group had been standing still like fools moments before, but now they were suddenly charging forward like madmen, leaving only her and Chunyu Shuang behind. Were they possessed or something?
However, glancing back at the guards left to protect them, she couldn’t, in good conscience, complain. She could only sigh helplessly and urge her horse to go faster.
But she was a novice who had just learned to ride. She could only faintly hear the chaotic noise from up ahead, and it was growing quieter. It seemed the fight was nearly over before she could even see it. Jiuque was frantic. How could it be ending already before she even witnessed the clash? She could help too, you know!
Just as Jiuque was considering whether to give her horse a kick, a series of hurried footsteps approached. The guards behind her immediately grew alert, but before they could rush over, a disheveled figure had already charged into view. His eyes instantly fell upon the superb steed that Ying Jiuque rode – a fine horse specially bestowed by Emperor Jingtai, making it exceptionally conspicuous. The masked man hesitated for a split second, then without a trace of hesitation, rushed straight towards them.
Jiuque was riding at a rapid gallop. Relying on his superior skills and boldness, the man charged forward to seize the horse! One hand grabbed Jiuque’s leg, yanking down hard, while he simultaneously leaped up, his other hand reaching for the reins. It seemed he was on the verge of stealing the horse and making his escape…
If his calculations hadn’t failed.
Because as he was dragged along by the reins towards the pursuing soldiers ahead, he encountered an awkward problem. He hadn’t managed to pull that seemingly delicate woman off the horse at all.
Ying Jiuque looked at the man who had mistaken her for a soft target and twitched the corner of her mouth. She might look weak, but she had plenty of strength and tricks up her sleeve! Ahem, getting a bit off track. She immediately followed with a fierce kick, making the man’s face contort in pain. Yet, he stubbornly tried to seize Jiuque, likely because she was in official robes, and more importantly, a woman – the perfect hostage.
Jiuque took a deep breath, looked at this persistent man, reached out, grabbed his arm, and with a forceful wrench downwards—right in his bewildered, pained, and disbelieving gaze—
Crack!
The man’s arm broke directly!
“Press the advantage when the enemy is wounded.” Jiuque still didn’t let go. She wrapped an arm around his neck and slammed his head hard against the saddle. In this era, the ways for the wealthy to adorn their horses for outings were limited. Jiuque had seen those young masters parading on horseback, dressing their steeds in clothes and draping them with all sorts of fine silks and satins. She hadn’t bothered with much decoration herself, but this horse was a gift from the Emperor. Even without her adding anything, it came with a saddle that looked extremely luxurious. The only side effect was that it was too hard and uncomfortable.
But at a time like this, the overly hard saddle, adorned with various gold, silver, and jewels, delivered absolute agony to Mr. Yi!
“Ah!”
Mr. Yi let out a miserable scream and finally couldn’t hold on, crashing to the ground. If Jiuque wasn’t mistaken, he was also ruthlessly trampled several times by the hooves of the horses charging up from behind. The sound of cracking bones was horrifying.
Even Qi Zheng, who had been closely pursuing behind, twitched his mouth. From the sound, at least five ribs were broken. But recalling the scene he had just witnessed, he felt this punishment was actually rather light.
Before Jiuque could even speak, the guards from Qi Zheng’s residence, well-trained as ever, had already deftly used ropes procured from who-knows-where to ensnare Mr. Yi. They dragged him roughly along the ground for a distance before gradually stopping.
By the time Qi Zheng and the others dismounted to inspect the biggest catch of the night, Mr. Yi was already breathing more out than in. His mask had fallen off at some point, revealing a face as pale as a ghost’s.
Yet, even at this point, Mr. Yi still looked upon everyone with contempt. Though he was trussed up like a zongzi, surrounded completely with absolutely no chance of survival, he still disdained everyone equally.
Of course, being this arrogant in such a situation was just asking for trouble. A tall guard, unable to hold back any longer, fiercely stomped on him several times. Several large footprints immediately joined the bloodstains already covering his body, making the scene somewhat ludicrous. Mr. Yi’s haughty expression finally cracked. He glared venomously at Qi Zheng! It was this man who had charged into the collapsing underground cavern earlier, mercilessly stabbing several of his subordinates who tried to resist. Then he had driven him out like chasing a rat!
That cold, dismissive look in his eyes…
It was utterly detestable!
“If you let your subordinate abuse me further, I’ll kill myself immediately! You won’t get any information then!”
