Chapter 1084: Come With Me
Before long, Padi Tu arrived, leading a rescue team.
The five thousand members of the Gao Family Village Militia each contributed a day's worth of their personal rations, piling them onto carts. Padi Tu's rescue team then transported these supplies to the trapped refugees.
A vast number of carts were fanned out in the mountain gully beneath the Spirit Witch Cave.
Meanwhile, Gu Tianxing and his group slowly descended from the cave entrance halfway up the cliff face, carefully supporting the elderly and leading the children. Their initial entry had been arduous, and exiting proved equally challenging. Yet, the sight of so much food waiting below, promising a full meal, invigorated even the weakest and youngest among them.
Once at the bottom, clutching the dried provisions offered by the Gao Family Village Militia, the group burst into tears, wailing, “Finally, food!”
“And someone to guide us, to lead us out of these strange mountains.”
“We can live.”
Gu Tianxing, following Li Daoxuan, approached Cheng Xu and the others. The gathered leaders formed a circle, sitting down around Gu Tianxing.
Cheng Xu inquired, “What is your situation? Why were you trapped in this Spirit Witch Cave?”
Padi Tu thumped his chest, declaring, “So that’s it! Your plight is truly tragic. But your troubles are over now. With this Bunny Lord here, I guarantee you’ll never go hungry or cold again. If you’re keen-witted and hardworking, and commit yourselves diligently, I promise you a life of abundance.”
“From Nanyang, you say?” Zheng Gouzi mused, “Speaking of Nanyang, I think something’s clicking. Haven’t we seen some news about Nanyang recently? I recall it being mentioned on Gaojia News.”
Cheng Xu chided good-naturedly, “Zhu Yujian, the Prince of Tang from Nanyang, raised an army to aid the emperor. Gaojia News covered it.”
Zheng Gouzi slapped his forehead, “Ah, yes, that’s it! I just can’t keep track of all these strange princely names.”
Cheng Xu chuckled, “By the way, with the Manchu forces retreated from the capital, the Prince of Tang from Nanyang is likely in a very awkward position now, wouldn’t you agree?”
Zhu Yujian, the Prince of Tang, had indeed returned to Nanyang.
Halfway through his march towards the capital, news arrived that the Manchu forces had retreated, forcing him to withdraw his troops and return to Nanyang.
On this campaign to aid the emperor, he hadn't even caught a glimpse of the Manchu forces. Yet, along the way, he had fought several skirmishes against smaller rebel groups, and even engaged the larger rebel armies led by Meng Hu and Du Hu.
The battles were back and forth, with victories and losses on both sides.
In his own estimation, although his effort to aid the emperor had not fully materialized, his suppression of bandits still counted as a meritorious service.
However, to his shock, shortly after returning to Nanyang, an imperial decree arrived: he was stripped of his title and demoted to a commoner. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was ordered to seize him and imprison him within the high walls of Fengyang for the remainder of his life.
Zhu Yujian roared, “This prince refuses! I refuse! This prince's heart is dedicated solely to the Great Ming, without a shred of selfish intent. I should not suffer such treatment! I refuse!”
The Embroidered Uniform Guard centurion in charge of his arrest showed not a flicker of emotion. “Save those words for the tomb-guarding eunuchs in Fengyang,” he stated flatly.
“This prince refuses! I demand an audience with the Emperor!” Zhu Yujian insisted.
“As I’ve already said,” the Embroidered Uniform Guard centurion replied, “you are to go to Fengyang. You will have no opportunity to see the Emperor. Furthermore, you have been stripped of your princely status and are now a commoner. You may no longer refer to yourself as ‘this prince’.”
Fury surged through Zhu Yujian. He turned to his Prince of Tang’s Guard Commander, but the commander had already cowered to the side, unwilling to even approach him. From this moment on, he would no longer be Zhu Yujian's Guard Commander, but rather the commander for the new Prince of Tang—Zhu Yujian's younger brother, Zhu Yushao.
No one offered him aid!
Zhu Yujian, having been imprisoned and underfed since childhood, possessed a frail physique and was utterly powerless to resist the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The centurion seized him with a single outstretched hand. “Zhu Yujian,” he warned, “if you cooperate, I will, out of respect for your imperial lineage, refrain from shackling you. But if you cause trouble, do not blame me for resorting to shackles.”
Zhu Yujian gazed heavenward and sighed, “This is injustice!”
“Drag him away!”
At the centurion’s command, his subordinates hauled Zhu Yujian out.
Throughout the Prince of Tang’s residence, countless eyes watched, yet not a single soul dared to speak a word in his defense.
Or rather...
Everyone in the Prince of Tang’s residence immediately flocked to his younger brother, the newly appointed Prince of Tang, Zhu Yushao.
Zhu Yujian abandoned his childish fantasies and resigned himself to his fate. His sole consolation now was that he had no wife or children; otherwise, once imprisoned, they would surely be subjected to bullying by his brother’s faction within the Prince of Tang’s residence.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard pushed him into a horse-drawn carriage, which then set off towards Fengyang.
The carriage rumbled on...
Days passed in a blur...
He had no idea how far they had traveled, only that they were still within Henan province. Ahead, a stretch of woods bordered the road.
Zhu Yujian was gazing absently at the free-flying birds in the trees when, suddenly, the carriage halted. On the official road ahead of their procession stood a single figure, dressed in the attire of a wandering swordsman, a vast bamboo hat shading their face, and a precious sword hanging at their hip.
The figure exuded an air of exaggerated bravado.
This arrival boded ill!
The Embroidered Uniform Guard centurion in command barked, “The Embroidered Uniform Guard is on official business. All unrelated personnel, stand back at once!”
“The Embroidered Uniform Guard? Then I’ve certainly made the right stop!” The figure in the bamboo hat burst into laughter. “This mountain is mine to command, these trees mine to claim. Others may pass freely, but Zhu Yujian stays.”
The Embroidered Uniform Guard were stunned. With a chorus of metallic shimmers, their Spring-Embroidered Blades sprang from their scabbards.
The lead centurion gravely intoned, “You’re exceptionally bold. Do you dare to state your name?”
“Dare I? Of course, I dare,” the figure in the bamboo hat replied with an unsettling, singsong voice. “But once I reveal my name, every single one of you will die; not a single one of you will leave alive. If I do not state my name, however, and you flee for your lives, I may choose not to pursue.”
At these words, the faces of the Embroidered Uniform Guard darkened.
The lead centurion genuinely dared not press for a name any further.
It was clear the other party was deliberately showing leniency. If they fled, the figure implied they wouldn't be pursued, but only if they weren't forced to reveal their identity.
This was, in fact, a remarkably gentle way to handle the situation.
The centurion scoffed, “If you want me to run, you’ll have to show me what you’re capable of first.”
The figure in the bamboo hat clapped their hands. “Come out!”
From the woods on either side of the official road, a large group of figures emerged. All were clad in black, their faces obscured by dark scarves, clearly intending to conceal their identities. Each had a small hand-crossbow strapped to their left arm and a blade clutched in their right hand.
The group raised their crossbows, aiming them at the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The figure in the bamboo hat chuckled darkly, “In the past, I was ruthless in my dealings. I wouldn’t have even greeted you. The moment you entered the ambush, arrows would have rained down from both sides of the road, sending you straight back to your ancestors. But now, I have been reborn. I ordered my people to show themselves to offer you a way out, understand?”
Sweat trickled down the centurion’s forehead. In this situation, how could he possibly resist? He cupped his fist in a bow, “My thanks!”
With that, he dared not utter another useless word. He whipped his horse and galloped away, fleeing in disarray.
The other Embroidered Uniform Guard hastily followed suit, vanishing from sight in a flash.
The figure in the bamboo hat indeed did not pursue. Instead, they slowly walked up to the bewildered Zhu Yujian, let out a soft chuckle, and said, “Zhu Yujian, come with me.”
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