Accepting Surrender

Pan Yun's feet dangled outside the ox cart, swinging back and forth. The Ten-Mile Pavilion was half-hidden behind the trees, appearing and disappearing from view.

Her gaze swept over the dense woods lining both sides of the road, and she could not help but smile. "Lord Yu, look—our Yushan County has good mountains, good waters, and even good trees."

Yu Qian thoughtfully glanced over the woods on either side of the road and nodded. "They are indeed lush."

Pan Yun said, "Hide one or two hundred people in there, and it would be like hiding mosquitoes—no one would notice a thing."

Cai Sheng: ...

Cold sweat began to seep out.

The ox cart stopped. Pan Yun hopped down neatly, while Cai Sheng stumbled and nearly pitched face-first onto the ground.

Yu Qian felt that an Imperial Court official should not be allowed to lose too much face, so he reached out and steadied him.

Cai Sheng thanked him repeatedly, rolled up his sleeves to wipe his sweat, and asked nervously, "Where are Song Dalin and Wang Xiaojing?"

Pan Yun merely looked up at the sun and smiled. "No hurry. The time has not come yet. Lord Cai, why not take a stroll nearby and enjoy the scenery? It is rare to leave the city—do not let the fine springtime go to waste."

Cai Sheng always felt there was something behind Pan Yun's words. Forcing a smile, he said, "N-No need. Better to wait here."

The moment his words fell, a sound came from the other end of the road. The group leaned out to look toward its far end.

They saw two people emerge from around the bend, followed by a crowd carrying swords, hoes, and iron shovels. By a conservative estimate, there had to be one or two hundred