The Wife of a Loyal Servant - Chapter 37

As she pondered, the “master” suddenly opened his eyes. His dark, menacing gaze locked onto hers directly. Startled, she lowered her head at once, instinctively clutching her son tightly.

Her heart thumped violently.

She had lived two lifetimes and seen all kinds of people, but she had never encountered such a terrifying gaze. In his eyes, everyone seemed like an ant, easily crushed with a flick.

This man was far too dangerous. If they fell into his hands, could the three of them truly survive?

Suddenly, she wasn’t sure anymore.

The carriage had been traveling for an unknown length of time. The man in black had lifted the curtain several times to peer outside. Then, he suddenly instructed the driver, Cheng Shaotang, “Head east!”

Cheng Shaotang’s face was cold, his voice restrained. “It’s getting dark. If we go straight, the county town is less than half an hour away. Once there, you can find a doctor to treat your injuries. In crowded areas, you won’t be bothered, and you can even seek help from the authorities. But if we head east, it’s just desolate mountains and wilderness; not even a place to rest for the night.”

The man in black hesitated slightly before asking in a low voice, “Master?”

“Go east!” the man addressed as master replied coldly.

“But your injuries…”

“I’m fine. Go east, don’t make me say it a third time!”

The man in black no longer hesitated, shouting at Cheng Shaotang again, “Go east!!”

Cheng Shaotang’s grip on the reins tightened until his hands ached, his face ashen.

Go east… it was one thing for the grown men, but how could Xiao Yu, an ordinary woman, and Xiao Shitou, a child, survive!

He desperately wanted to drive straight toward the county town, but he couldn’t ignore the safety of his wife and child in their hands. Gritting his teeth, he suppressed his anger, turned the horses eastward, and headed off.

“Mother…” Xiao Shitou had woken at some point, groaning in discomfort. Ling Yu loosened her hold slightly, asking anxiously, “Does it hurt anywhere?”

“No…” Xiao Shitou snuggled his arms around her neck, tilting his head to curiously watch the two strangers in the carriage.

Noticing the little one’s curious gaze, the “master” furrowed his brows even tighter, eyes sharp as they met the child’s innocent, smiling face. He froze for a moment, staring intently.

Xiao Shitou saw that he was being watched too, and gave a sweet smile, calling out in a clear voice, “Uncle!”

Startled, Ling Yu quickly cupped his face, forcing him to look away. She scolded him softly, “Don’t talk so much!”

The little one pouted, letting out a long, drawn “Oh,” then buried his head in her arms, nuzzling affectionately.

Ling Yu held him, gently patting his back and softly coaxing him at his ear. Suddenly realizing that the “master” was watching, she awkwardly turned her body to avoid his gaze.

The carriage moved farther and farther, the sky grew darker, and the road became increasingly rough, causing Ling Yu to shift her sitting position several times.

Even the most obedient little boy started fussing after a while, twisting his small body and crying, “Mommy, I want to go home! I want Daddy! I want Daddy!”

“Just a little longer, we’ll be home soon. Daddy’s driving us home!” Ling Yu hurriedly coaxed him, worried he might disturb the two men and cause trouble.

“No, no! I want Daddy! I want to go home!” But the little guy refused, insisting on having his father.

“Xiao Shitou, listen to your mother! Daddy will take you home now!” Cheng Shaotang, hearing his son’s cries outside, also worried about angering the two men, quickly tried to comfort him.

“Daddy!” Hearing his father’s voice, Xiao Shitou’s eyes lit up. He struggled to get out, but Ling Yu held him tightly, and he couldn’t break free. His little mouth pouted, and he looked like he was about to cry.

“Xiao Shitou, be good and stay with Mommy. Mommy is afraid of the dark. You’re a man—you have to protect Mommy.” Cheng Shaotang’s low, husky voice came again, finally calming Xiao Shitou down.

“Okay! I’ll listen to Daddy and protect Mommy!” The little guy’s eyes sparkled as he puffed out his tiny chest.

So Mommy is afraid of the dark too… He covered his mouth and chuckled secretly, his bright black eyes fixed on Ling Yu’s face.

Ling Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at his mischievous little face, she couldn’t help but smile. She gently tapped his nose and hugged him tighter.

Silence returned to the carriage. Ling Yu discreetly glanced at the two men opposite her. Her master leaned against the carriage with eyes closed, seemingly asleep. The man in black, however, kept one hand on his sword hilt in a defensive stance. Noticing her gaze, he immediately shot her a displeased glance.

She lowered her eyes, unwilling to meet his.

Suddenly, a sharp whooshing sound echoed as an arrow whistled past Ling Yu’s ear and pierced the opposite carriage, sending a chill down her spine. The next moment, a horse neighed, and Cheng Shaotang outside shouted, “An arrow! Get down!”

Without hesitation, Ling Yu grabbed her son and lay flat on the carriage floor. The two men inside were already using their weapons to deflect the arrows that kept raining in.

Cheng Shaotang was frantic with worry for his wife and child inside, but he was stretched too thin. Desperately, he spurred the carriage onward, trying to shake off the pursuers who seemed to have appeared from nowhere.

The carriage sped along, its wheels clattering loudly against the quiet mountain road.

Suddenly, several men in black, seemingly falling from the sky, thrust long swords at him. Cheng Shaotang’s face went pale. He leaned back, narrowly avoiding a strike, and then, holding the reins in one hand to control the horse, met the attack with the other.

Behind him, the clanging of weapons echoed relentlessly.

Anxious, angry, and full of hatred, yet even more terrified for his wife and child, he gritted his teeth, loosened the reins, and braced himself for the fight. Seizing a feigned opening, he snatched an opponent’s weapon and landed a heavy punch to the chest, knocking the man off the carriage.

With a deafening crash, the overloaded carriage collapsed. Ling Yu screamed. Terrified, Cheng Shaotang lunged toward her, who was still desperately shielding her son on the ground. In a split second, he deflected a sword aimed at her back, then pulled both mother and child to their feet, holding them firmly behind him while swinging his sword to fend off the attackers.

With a clang, he knocked the weapon from one of the men’s hands, then mercilessly struck the man on the back of the neck, sending him sprawling to the ground with a muffled groan. He then thrust his sword into another man’s arm, and as the weapon fell, kicked him, sending him flying several meters before crashing into a thick tree and rolling to the ground, unable to move.

“Go!” He lifted Ling Yu and her son onto the collapsed carriage floor. Just then, the master and servant pair killed the last man in black and jumped onto the carriage. They exchanged a glance. Cheng Shaotang gritted his teeth, mounted his horse, and spurred it forward, driving the broken carriage at full speed.

Ling Yu clutched Xiao Shitou tightly with one arm and gripped the carriage floor with the other, afraid of being thrown off by the jolting ride. Xiao Shitou sobbed quietly, not daring to cry too loudly, his tiny hand clutching his mother’s clothes.

The man called “Master” glanced repeatedly at the mother and child. After a long pause, he said, “Go help her hold the child.”

The black-clad man, who had been standing guard beside him, froze, seemingly unable to believe what he heard. After a moment, he moved toward Ling Yu. “Give me the child!”

Ling Yu glared at him warily and hugged Xiao Shitou even tighter.

“Come back,” the Master sneered, then ordered the man again.

The black-clad man replied with a “Yes” and returned to his side.

As the darkness deepened, a cool night breeze brushed past them, carrying faint traces of blood. Along the way, they encountered two more black-clad pursuers, both of whom were slain beneath the carriage by the master and servant.

He didn’t know how much time had passed. Once he felt temporarily safe, Cheng Shaotang pulled the reins and stopped.

“Why stop here? Hurry up! What if more pursuers arrive…” the man in black demanded in a low voice when he saw him halt.

Cheng Shaotang dismounted as if he hadn’t heard. The man in black, enraged, drew his sword with a sharp clang and blocked him. “What are you trying to do?!”

“Are you sure you’re still a match for me?” Cheng Shaotang swept a cold glance over him and spoke unhurriedly.

“Even if it costs me my life, I will never allow anyone to harm my master!”

“Chu Liang, step back!” the master suddenly ordered.

Only then did the man in black, Chu Liang, reluctantly sheath his sword. He watched as Cheng Shaotang strode to the carriage and reached out to take Ling Yu’s son from her arms.

The little boy clung to his father like an octopus the moment he was held, sobbing softly. Cheng Shaotang kissed his cool, wet cheek, whispered a few words of comfort, and then helped the weak-legged Ling Yu down from the carriage.

The moment her feet touched solid ground, Ling Yu nearly collapsed. Fortunately, Cheng Shaotang was prepared, tightly encircling her waist and stabilizing her with a half-carry, half-support.

Leaning against him, Ling Yu gasped for breath, finally regaining a sense of being alive.

In both her lives, this was the first time she had experienced being hunted; it felt as if she had nearly died several times. Several times, she could feel the chill of swords, as if her head would roll at any moment.

She was on the verge of tears. She should have checked the almanac before leaving home. Who knew she would encounter these two scourges?

Cheng Shaotang, holding his son in one arm and supporting his wife with the other, sharply glared at the master and servant couple. “I don’t care who you are. We three are complete strangers and have no desire to be dragged into your troubles. This is a rather secluded mountain valley. Unless you are a local, it won’t be easy to find you quickly. You can rest here for now. Tomorrow morning, we’ll go our separate ways, and I can even give you the carriage.”

The “master” looked around, noting the seclusion, and coldly replied, “Go our separate ways? Do you know that the lives of your entire family now depend on me? Only if I live, do you live.”

“What do you mean by that?” Cheng Shaotang’s face grew even darker.

“Insolence! Do you know who this person before you is? This is His Highness the Crown Prince!” Chu Liang shouted in a deep voice.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince?!” Ling Yu’s heart skipped a beat, staring at the man in disbelief.

He was… the Crown Prince? The short-lived Crown Prince from her previous life?!

Cheng Shaotang was also somewhat taken aback, his suspicious gaze shifting to the “master”.

“I am indeed the current Crown Prince, Zhao Yun,” Zhao Yun said slowly.

“What proof do you have?”

Zhao Yun pulled a seal from his robes and tossed it to him. He quickly caught it and carefully examined the characters on the seal in the moonlight. His expression finally changed.

“What? Do you believe me now?” Zhao Yun put the seal away and asked calmly.

Cheng Shaotang’s mind was in chaos, yet he knew he had likely been unwittingly drawn into a royal power struggle. He took a deep breath, placed his son on the ground, and knelt to pay his respects: “This humble subject, Cheng Shaotang, greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!”

Ling Yu instinctively knelt as well.

Only Xiao Shitou remained standing beside his father, his arms still wrapped around his neck.

“Get up!”

Cheng Shaotang and Ling Yu exchanged a glance, each seeing the worry in the other’s eyes. Ling Yu, especially, had never imagined she would encounter the Crown Prince who died young in her past life. Let alone accompany him through a deadly chase that nearly cost her life.

“Cheng Shaotang, I now order you to protect me with all your strength and escort me back to the capital. I will reward you handsomely!” Zhao Yun’s voice rang out again, interrupting her thoughts.

Cheng Shaotang lowered his eyes. After a moment, he said respectfully but coolly, “Your Highness’s safety concerns the fate of the nation. My skills are limited, and I fear I cannot take on such a responsibility. This place is not far from Changluo City. For Your Highness’s safety, it would be best to request the local prefect to send soldiers to escort you back to the capital—only that would be truly secure.”

Zhao Yun had not expected such a direct refusal, and he immediately flew into a rage. He snatched the long sword from Chu Liang’s waist and pointed it at him. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”

Cheng Shaotang firmly shielded his wife and child behind him, meeting Zhao Yun’s murderous gaze. “If Your Highness intended to kill me, you wouldn’t have bothered asking that question.”

Zhao Yun glared at him viciously for a long time before finally lowering the sword. Coldly, he said, “You resent me for dragging you into this. Cheng Shaotang, my earlier words were not meant to scare you. The lives of your family of three are now tied to mine. Do you think those people will let you go if you leave me now?

“Naive! If I return to the capital alive, you will still have a chance to survive. But if I die, those people will surely silence you to cover up the truth of my death—after all, you were the last ones with me!”

Cheng Shaotang’s chest tightened, his fists clenching hard.

Ling Yu, pale-faced, naturally understood that Zhao Yun’s words were not empty threats.

Those people dared to kill even the Crown Prince—let alone ordinary civilians like them. Dealing with them would be as easy as crushing ants.

“Well, what’s your decision? Should we escort me back to the capital?” After a long silence, Zhao Yun asked again, looking down at him.

Cheng Shaotang held his wife’s small hand in his palm, his chest heaving. In a hoarse voice, he asked, “Your Highness, couldn’t you send trusted ministers along the way? With only this humble subject and—”

“I am Chu Liang, commander of the Crown Prince’s guards,” Chu Liang replied.

“Commander Chu,” Cheng Shaotang called, then continued, “With only the two of us… Your Highness is injured, and with my wife and son involved, returning safely while evading the pursuers will be extremely difficult.”

“Perhaps… perhaps we should let my wife and son leave first…”

“Shaotang!” Ling Yu exclaimed, then heard Zhao Yun coldly ask, “Do you think that’s possible? Even if I agreed to let them go first, could you guarantee they would truly return safely?”

Cheng Shaotang remained silent.

If they hadn’t encountered those two pursuits, his wife and children might have escaped safely. But now that they had revealed themselves, he couldn’t guarantee their safety.

Ling Yu naturally understood this. She gently squeezed his hand and said in a hoarse voice, “Wherever you are, that’s where we, mother and son, will be!”

She valued her life. If there had been even a sliver of a chance to survive, she would have chosen to leave with her son first, no matter how reluctant her heart. But things had come to this: not only would the Crown Prince never allow them to leave, she couldn’t even guarantee they wouldn’t encounter pursuers on the way back.

“Your wife is quite sensible,” Zhao Yun sneered.

“Mother, I’m hungry…” Xiao Shitou’s aggrieved voice sounded, breaking the tense atmosphere.

Ling Yu quickly hugged him and kissed him. “Alright, Mother will find some food for Xiao Shitou.”

She remembered that when she had left her mother’s house, her mother had packed plenty of Xiao Shitou’s favorite pastries—but after the fight, she wasn’t sure if they were still in the carriage.

She searched the carriage by moonlight for a while and finally found the bundle containing the food box. Opening it, she saw the box was completely ruined, and the pastries inside were smashed beyond recognition.

“Alright, let’s make do for now. I’ll go look around further ahead and see if I can catch a rabbit or pheasant.” Cheng Shaotang sighed, picking out a slightly larger piece of pastry crumb and handing it to his son, then another to Ling Yu. Finally, he hesitated for a moment, glancing at Zhao Yun, who was sitting with his eyes closed, seemingly resting.

“Chu Liang, you go with him!” Zhao Yun instructed calmly.

Hearing this, Cheng Shaotang promptly placed the bag of pastry crumbs in Ling Yu’s hand.

“Be careful!” Ling Yu cautioned worriedly.

Cheng Shaotang patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry!”

He then patted his son’s head gently, saying softly, “Protect your mother well!”

“Okay!” The little guy, with pastry crumbs still on his lips, nodded vigorously, agreeing in a clear voice.

Watching the two leave, Ling Yu held her son and sat down in a spot away from Zhao Yun.

Xiao Shitou ate a few crumbs, then his little head nodded up and down. Ling Yu knew he was sleepy, so she held him in her arms and gently coaxed him to sleep.

In no time, the little guy was asleep.

Seeing the tear stains still on her son’s face, Ling Yu felt deeply sorry for him and gently rubbed her cheek against his.

“Your son has quite the nerve. With proper guidance, he might have a bright future,” the man’s deep voice suddenly rang out. 

Ling Yu glanced at Zhao Yun, who still had his eyes closed, and replied indifferently, “I just want him to grow up safely.”

“A woman’s view; a doting mother spoils her son!” Zhao Yun sneered.

In truth, this family was bold. Did they think he couldn’t see the resentment in their eyes? They were truly like tigers fallen to the plains. If it weren’t for this crucial moment, he would definitely have taught them a lesson!

Ling Yu pressed her lips, unwilling to pay him any more attention.

When Cheng Shaotang and Chu Liang returned, they were both carrying game.

Cheng Shaotang had hunted a pheasant and a rabbit, while Chu Liang had snapped the necks of three pheasants, fresh blood still dripping.

Cheng Shaotang had been hunting with his father since childhood, so he was extremely skilled at preparing game. Ling Yu wanted to help, but worried about her son, she quietly followed his lead and watched him work.

Chu Liang, with ample experience camping in the wild, quickly built a fire and personally roasted the game.

While eating the rabbit meat Cheng Shaotang handed her, Ling Yu secretly glanced at Zhao Yun. Though disheveled, he still maintained the elegance of a royal nobleman in his manner of eating.

She pondered silently. If the Crown Prince hadn’t died in this life, what changes would that bring to the world? With the Crown Prince alive and rightful, wouldn’t that mean Prince Qi would have no chance of taking the throne?

If this Crown Prince had remained, Prince Qi naturally wouldn’t have been appointed heir a few years later, which would mean the war would never happen. If so, that would truly be a good thing.

But… this Crown Prince didn’t seem like someone easy to deal with, and his temperament looked somewhat violent. If he ascended the throne, would he really be better than Prince Qi from her previous life?

Though she was only a commoner, she still knew that after the Prince of Qi became emperor, he issued decree after decree that benefited the people, cleaned up the mess left by the former emperor in just a few years, and significantly improved the people’s livelihood—at the very least, most families could count on three meals a day.

But what if it were this one instead?

The next moment, she felt she was overthinking. She was just an insignificant woman. What business did she have worrying about the fate of the royal house or the welfare of the realm? Even if the sky fell, someone taller would hold it up. She only needed to live her own life well. What did the rest matter?

Thinking this, she felt at ease again. She wiped the oil from the corner of her mouth, glanced at her half-awake son being fed in Cheng Shaotang’s arms, and reminded softly, “Don’t feed him too much, or he’ll get a stomachache.”

Cheng Shaotang nodded. “I know.”

Zhao Yun raised his eyelids slightly and glanced at the couple acting as if no one else existed, then closed his eyes again.

If he managed to survive this ordeal, he would make those who dared to betray him pay with blood.