Dandere General and his Lord

36. Rescue

Duke Wei Heng’s number one advisor, Chen Wenxiu, received the news. He pondered irresolutely for a moment before clapping his feather fan against his palm. “Damn it! I’m afraid Marquis Jin Yue is going to run away!”

Without the slightest hesitation, he summoned Yuan Wu and ordered him to take the light cavalry and quickly bring back the Princess and Marquis Jin Yue. Then, he personally went to meet Yao Hong.

Yao Hong had a hangover and it took him more than half an hour to sober up.

He washed his face with cold water until his mind felt more alert.

Hitting the desk furiously, he said, “It turns out that Cheng Qianyu’s previous actions were merely for the sake of deceiving me! How dare that kid play around with me, I’ll show him!”

Chen Wenxiu’s face was calm. “I had not expected this. Marquis Jin Yue is so young yet so forbearing and cunning, acting like he was addicted to music and pleasure without any intention of returning home, we were duped by him. This person’s scheming is too deep, we cannot allow him to escape.”

Yao Hong commanded, “Wenxiu, quickly send a few fast horses and boats and look for them from both land and water, make sure to intercept him and bring him back. If you can’t capture him alive, then it doesn’t matter if you execute him on the spot.”

“My Lord, I have already dispatched General Yuan.” Chen Wenxiu cupped his fists together and replied, “However, Princess Tianxiang went along with Marquis Jin Yue. Princess has had an unyielding character since she was a child and even the generals are afraid of her. If she insists on being stubborn, I’m afraid that this matter will prove to be difficult.”

Yao Hong removed the sword that was mounted on the wall and handed it over to him. “You lead the army yourself, Marquis Jin Yue must be captured. Regardless of who obstructs you, use this sword and kill them, there is no need to show mercy.”

Chen Wenxiu received the sword and walked away.

Once he reached the doorway, Yao Hong called out to him, “Wenxiu, even if you’re unable to chase after Marquis Jin Yue, you must bring Tianxiang back to me. She is the only princess of our country and it is still useful for me to keep her. I can’t let that cunning kid Marquis Jin Yue take this advantage.”

~

To recount, Cheng Qianye had ordered Mo Qiao Sheng to tie up Liu Lu and Chun Xin before throwing them off the carriage as they travelled on their way.

The party proceeded to hurry on with their journey.

After driving for a few more miles, they reached Yao Tianxiang’s trusted aides who had been waiting for them by the side of the road with several good horses since a long time ago.

They hopped out of the carriage and got on the horses before heading towards Dingtao County of the Song State which shared a common boundary of the State of Wei.

Cheng Qianye had secretly sent a letter to Xiao Jin and Zhang Fu a couple of days ago and they had agreed to convene at the Ji River from the Song State’s Dingtao County.

At midnight, Xiao Jin, Helan Zhen and the rest would come along with the navy in order to rescue Cheng Qianye.

Halfway through their journey, they heard the clamour of hoofbeats behind them as General Yuan Wu from the State of Wei led a team of cavalrymen in pursuit of them.

Yao Tianxiang barred them from the middle of the road as she held a whip and scolded, “Yuan Wu, what do you mean by blocking Bengong1 like this? Could it be possible that your intention is assassination!?”

Yuan Wu was somewhat afraid of this unruly princess.

He was panicked after being berated by her and dismounted from the horse, kneeling to salute. “Why does Princess say such a thing? By the Military Advisor’s order, I request for Princess and Fuma2 to return. My Lord and Princess are close, blood-related kin, why would you run away? Please follow me back, there is nothing that cannot be settled through discussion.”

Yao Tianxiang snorted coldly, “I have come here by Mother’s decree. Who does Chen Wenxiu think he is, daring to meddle in my business?”

She flung her whip in the air and pointed at Yuan Wu and said, “You also know that I am Elder Brother’s blood-related kin, yet you have the audacity to block me? Get out of the way this instant, or else when I return and see Elder Brother, I’ll show you!”

Yuan Wu groaned inwardly to himself and blamed Chen Wenxiu, Military Advisor ah, Military Advisor, you sure sent me on a good task. At the end of the day, My Lord the Princess are brother and sister. Things might be noisy now, but after everything is fine later on, all the fault will lie with this Old Yuan.

As a result, he remained silent and moved out of the way, looking on helplessly as Yao Tianxiang rode away with Marquis Jin Yue on their horses without sparing them a second thought. He didn’t dare to chase after them again.

A while later, Chen Wenxiu arrived with the troops he was leading and met Yuan Wu and his group of soldiers who were standing foolishly by the side of the road.

Chen Wenxiu gripped the horse’s reins and asked, “General, why are you standing still here?”

Yuan Wu explained why.

Chen Wenxiu lifted up the sword in his hands, “This here is My Lord’s sword, you must make sure to recapture Marquis Jin Yue. If Princess obstructs you, there is no need to worry, behead her along with the others.”

Then, he and Yuan Wu’s group divided and set off on alternate paths.

He ordered Yuan Wu to pursue and attack them from land as he led the navy with towered ships and small boats as they travelled along the border of the Ji River.

Cheng Qianye and her party galloped along the banks of the Ji River before embarking on two fishing boats that had been prepared ahead of time. They travelled along the Ji River as they headed in the direction of Dingtao.

At midnight, the ferry crossing of Dingtao County appeared in their line of sight, filling everyone’s heart with excitement.

Tiny spots of light appeared within the dimness behind them as three huge towered ships moved towards them, like a hulking creature which was swimming in the inky waters, creating huge waves as they pursued them in a row.

The upper decks of the tall ships were brightly lit with torches.

Chen Wenxiu stood at the bow of the ship and shouted from the distance, “The fishing boats up ahead, stop quickly or don’t blame us for being merciless.”

Yao Tianxiang stepped out of the cabin and said coldly, “Merciless? How do you plan on being merciless?! Don’t tell me that you have the audacity to take my life?”

Chen Wenxiu lifted up the sword. “By My Lord’s command, arrest Cheng Qianyu. If anyone provides an obstruction, no matter who it is, kill them on the spot with the authority of the law!”

All the soldiers on the ship responded in unison and a rain of arrows flew out of the ship.

Yao Tianxiang went back to the cabin and ordered the fishermen to speed up their rowing.

Her face was white as she said, “Now, whether or not we can escape all depends on fate, I am no longer of any use.”

On both sides of the towered ships, there were numerous small, dexterous boats where several waterborne troops swiftly moved their oars, breaking through the waves as they approached them at flying speed.

Soon, some soldiers in leather armour jumped onto the fishing boat.

Everyone aboard the boat, including Cheng Qianye and Yao Tianxiang, fought fiercely with their swords.

In the narrow space, Mo Qiao Sheng sword moved as lightly as though it were made of water and his legs moved as fast as the wind as he fought against the foes who had jumped onto the boat, beating them down into the pitch-black river.

Nevertheless, there was a large disparity in strength between them and the enemy as more and more enemies jumped aboard the boat. The situation was critical and soon, they were unable to resist.

Just as they gave up all hope, several tall warships appeared faintly in the distance ahead, flying towards them, travelling straight down the river. A dashing young general stood at the bow, it was Helan Zhen.

Cheng Qianye was overjoyed by their timely arrival and said to Yao Tianxiang, “Quickly, take off your outer robes and jump into the water, we’ll swim.”

At the moment, the fishing boat was filled with the soldiers from the State of Wei and the water was flooding in so that the boat was on the verge of capsizing at any moment.

Yao Tianxiang and Sima Tu did not demur and stripped off their outer robes before jumping into the water. They were both from the State of Wei which had numerous lakes and rivers so they were skilled at swimming.

Cheng Qianye took off her outer robe and said to Mo Qiao Sheng, “Qiao Sheng, let’s go!”

Mo Qiao Sheng blocked the weapons of several enemies before turning his head and exclaiming, “Master, you go first, I will cover you from behind!”

Cheng Qianye froze suddenly. She recalled Mo Qiao Sheng’s fear of water. He gets so scared when he goes into the water, he’s bound to be unable to swim.

She hesitated for a moment and an enemy’s blade slashed her back. Cheng Qianye pounced forward, feeling a sharp pain from her back.

Mo Qiao Sheng roared and the short-hilted broadsword in his hand flew out of his hand, sinking into the man’s chest as he snatched Cheng Qianye away.

He took matters into his own hands and grabbed Cheng Qianye’s collar, hurling her far away into the water.

Cheng Qianye was submerged in the icy river-water in an instant. Fortunately, she had been taught how to swim since she had been a child and had learnt many different styles of swimming. At first, she was a bit flustered, however, she soon managed to struggle up to the surface of the water.

The pitch-black river had been thrown into a state of disorder long ago with fire arrows falling like rain and friends and foe unable to distinguish one from the other.

Cheng Qianye didn’t dare to inspect the situation on the fishing boat. She dove into the water and found the correct direction before swimming towards Helan Zhen and the fleet of ships.

Soon, a big ship approached her.

Zhang Fu’s face appeared at the edge of the ship. His head was covered in bandages and his hand was hanging in a shoulder cast. He had obviously been injured in the surprise ambush by Wei Mingshan before. Nevertheless, he had still come to rescue Cheng Qianye along with the rest of them.

Cheng Qianye revealed her head as she waved and called out to them.

The icy-cold river, the inky black night, and menacing eyes of the hostile forces.

At this moment, the bright torches on the ship and the flag of Jin which was fluttering in the air made her chest feel warm, producing a strong feeling of homecoming in her.

Zhang Fu caught sight of Cheng Qianye in the water and ordered the men to stop the ship and put down the rope ladder to assist her.

Cheng Qianye climbed up the rope ladder and Yao Tianxiang, who was drenched from head-to-toe, looked down from the edge of the ship and waved at her.

Cheng Qianye sped up her ascent and several familiar arms stretched down from the deck and supported her, pulling her up onto the deck.

Helan Zhen took off his cloak and knelt down to offer it to her respectfully.

Cheng Qianye spread out the cloak and wrapped it around Yao Tianxiang. She stood at the bow and gazed at the dark surface of the river.

Chen Wenxiu stood on the Wei state’s ship which was opposite them and looked at them from afar.

A small boat came over and stopped close to the Jin nation’s boat, the soldiers on the boat detaining a bound man who was dressed in black. It was Mo Qiao Sheng who had been defeated and caught in the fray. 

Zhang Fu stood at the bow of the ship and shouted at Chen Wenxiu who was in the distance, “The famed Chen Gong’s3 name is like thunder piercing the ears4 and since a long time ago, I have felt that we are kindred spirits who have yet to meet. Today, we seem to have finally met.”

Chen Wenxiu coldly replied, “You are Zhang Fu.”

Zhang Fu smiled and returned, “Our Lord is fortunate to have been entertained by Duke Wei Heng for so many days, he has even been matched with the Princess, we are truly grateful. It’s just that the affairs of the state are quite busy and one cannot be away for too long, so we must return today. There is no need for Chen Gong to see us off.”

“Our Lord is quite fond of this slave, please return him to us, My Lord will definitely remember Chen Gong’s kindness. You and I, Jin and Wei, we are all still on friendly terms as in-laws.”

Chen Wenxiu responded, “There is no need for flowery words, I am poor at chess and also can’t speak flattering words. It is merely that according to the orders of My Lord, we cannot allow Princess Tianxiang to leave with you. I know that Marquis Jin Yue cares for this person. If you agree to return the Princess, then this person will not be harmed. If you do not agree, this person will be offered as a blood sacrifice to the river.”

Cheng Qianye was standing at the bow of the ship as the cold wind battered her body, seeming to penetrate her body and reach her heart. She turned back and glanced at Yao Tianxiang and Sima Tu who were holding hands together before returning her gaze to Mo Qiao Sheng who was pressed down on the boat with a blade held against him. For a moment, she was caught in a difficult quandary.

As Mo Qiao Sheng knelt down on that boat, he lifted up his head and met Cheng Qianye’s gaze. His whole body was enveloped in a blue glow, as dazzling and shiny as before even in the darkness of the night.

From the midst of that bright crystalline blue, Cheng Qianye suddenly saw a dense cherry pink rise up and circle around him, like a beautiful flower blooming in the dark.

Mo Qiao Sheng created an opening. There was a huge splash as he jumped out of the boat and dove into the water.

Helan Zhen gave a loud roar, “Shoot the arrows!”

Instantly, the arrows fell like rain and the enemy’s boat was left with no choice other than retreating quickly.

Chen Wenxiu saw that there was no hope of retrieving Yao Tianxiang and considering that this place was located within the borders of another country, it would be inadvisable to stay too long. Hence, he commanded their forces to turn back and depart.

Zhang Fu was ordering the soldiers to go into the water to save the man when he saw the shadow of a figure pass by him followed by a splash.

“The Lord in the water!”

“Hurry up! Go in the water and save him!”

~

1. (本宫 – Bengong) I, me (This Palace), self-appellation used by royalty.
2. (驸马 – Fuma) – Princess’ husband
3. (公 – Gong) – A respectful designation for an elder / A respectful salutation.
4. (如雷贯耳 – rú léi guàn ěr) Idiom – Describing a person’s reputation, like thunder piercing the ears, ie; well known, famous.