Who will save me?

After the sun set, the sky remained a deep blue for quite some time before being replaced by night.

On a higher hillside, the delegation lit a bonfire and set up tents.

The women did not get off the carriage; they slept inside wrapped in thin blankets. High-ranking officials such as Xu Qi'an slept in tents, while the lower-ranking guards slept around the campfire.

Fortunately, it's mid-spring, and the nights are neither too hot nor too cold, with a gentle breeze making it quite pleasant. The only downside is the abundance of mosquitoes, which seem to particularly enjoy these robust "fat sheep."

The sound of "slapping" rang out continuously as the soldiers cursed and chased away the mosquitoes.

When Xu Qi'an returned from his inspection and saw this scene, he knew that the delegation had not prepared any mosquito-repelling herbs, at most some wound medicine and commonly used antidote pills.

As for mosquito-repelling herbs, they can't be made that precise.

"Why are there so many mosquitoes?" The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, dressed in a single white garment, emerged from the tent and complained.

"All I hear is the buzzing of insects; how can I sleep? How can I sleep?"

Being pampered is a common problem among civil officials. Earlier on the ship, although there was rocking and swaying, these were minor problems that could be tolerated.

Traveling by land is much more arduous; there's no large bed, no coffee table, no fine food, and you have to endure mosquito bites.

Upon hearing the complaints of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the two censors immediately stepped forward to echo him, their faces full of worry. "It's unbearable, unbearable indeed!"

At this moment, it becomes clear how foolish Xu Qi'an's suggestion was. If they hadn't changed their route to land, they would still be floating on the water, sleeping in soft beds and resting in separate rooms.

With his skin of copper and bones of iron, Chu Xianglong was unaffected by mosquito bites. He scoffed, "Since we chose the land route, we must bear the consequences. We've only been traveling for a day; it's not too late to switch to the waterway."

Xu Qi'an took out a handful of specially made spices and said loudly, "I have insect-repelling spices here. Take a piece and throw it into the campfire, and it will drive away mosquitoes."

The soldiers were overjoyed and, as requested, received spices from Xu Qi'an and threw them into the campfire.

The spices burned slowly in the fire, releasing a slightly pungent, rich aroma. After a while, the mosquitoes disappeared from the surrounding area.

"Haha, no more mosquitoes! That feels so good."

"Now I can sleep peacefully, all thanks to Lord Xu."

Around the campfires, the soldiers were generous with their praise. Xu Yinluo's spices had solved their immediate problem; without mosquito bites, they felt completely comfortable.

Happiness begins with these small perks. If a different official were in charge, they certainly wouldn't care about the little troubles of these low-ranking soldiers.

They wouldn't even consider that a bad night's sleep would leave them exhausted the next day, forcing them to continue their journey. This vicious cycle could lead to a decline in the entire team's combat effectiveness.

As soldiers' sense of well-being increases, this translates into greater respect and acceptance of their superiors.

For example, when Xu Qi'an suggested changing the route and taking the more arduous overland route, the entire team complained in private, but this did not include the hundred Imperial Guards, who did not utter a single complaint.

This is what we call acceptance.

The two censors and the vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review asked for a piece of spice, went back to their tent, lit it in an incense burner, and the mosquito-repelling effect was immediate; sure enough, the "buzzing" sound was no longer heard.

"Lord Xu even prepared such a small trinket; he truly deserves to be called a master detective with such meticulous attention to detail."

The censor from the Censorate emerged from the tent and loudly praised them.

From the carriage not far away, the maids caught a faint fragrance and exclaimed happily, "It smells wonderful! Let's go get some to burn and repel the mosquitoes!"

"What are you going to fetch? Xu Yinluo and General Chu are having a fight right now. Don't make a fool of yourself at a time like this," another maid said.

"No, Xu Yinluo has a very good personality, and he's especially gentle with us women," the maid said.

"I was talking about General Chu. We are from the Prince's Mansion, we need to know that. No matter how good Xu Yinluo is, we can't forget our place, understand?"

"Yes, and I heard that Xu Yinluo wanted to switch to the land route, which is why we've had such a hard time. It's really something."

Upon hearing this, the other maids began to denounce Xu Yinluo, repeatedly expressing their dislike for him.

The princess huddled in the corner, letting out a disdainful sneer.

These brainless maids are as short-sighted as toads, only able to see the mosquitoes flying right in front of them.

Although she was tired, and she had doubts about whether the waterway was truly dangerous, and she also had some doubts about Xu Qi'an's judgment, she firmly supported Xu Qi'an's decision.

I'd rather endure some hardship and suffering than face danger.

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review lifted the tent flap, looked at Xu Qi'an sitting with the soldiers, and asked, "How confident are you, Lord Xu?"

He was referring to the ambush by water, subtly reminding Xu Qi'an to consider the bet.

After all, one is bound to be lenient when accepting bribes. The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and Xu Qi'an had no personal grudges against each other and didn't dislike him. The main problem was that the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review and Xu Qi'an had a deep-seated feud. As an official working under the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, he had to keep a straight face.

"How could I be so sure? Sending Yang Yan to step into the trap was a test in itself." Xu Qi'an shook his head slightly and remained silent.

An imperial censor said, "Judging by the time, Yang Jinluo should have arrived at Liushitan by now. He should already know whether there's an ambush. When will he meet us?"

Xu Qi'an said, "I left some coded signals along the way, and he will follow them."

At Jinluo's pace, following the coded signal, it won't take long. At the latest, he'll catch up by tomorrow morning; at the earliest, he might catch up tonight.

Chu Xianglong and the other civil officials fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts, awaiting Yang Yan's arrival.

Half an hour later, everyone fell asleep, their snores sounding like the croaking of frogs, rising and falling in waves.

Xu Qi'an didn't sleep. He took a dry twig and scribbled on the ground, pondering how he should investigate cases after going to the Northern Border.

After the case is solved, how can the evidence be brought back to the capital without alerting the Prince of Zhenbei?

The most troublesome thing about this matter is that he is helpless against the Prince of Zhenbei, but it is very easy for the Prince of Zhenbei to do anything to him.

It's understandable that the officials of the Court of Judicial Review were passive about the case; they probably just wanted to go through the motions and then return to the capital to report back. The massacre covered three thousand miles, yet not a single refugee was found—that's illogical. On this journey north, I need to observe carefully; plunging headlong into the north is something only a fool would do.

Chu Xianglong's firm opposition to my taking the land route may not be without this consideration. He wanted me to go directly to the Northern Border, but once there, I would become a puppet to be manipulated at will.

Want to investigate the case privately?

dream.

Amidst a flurry of thoughts, he suddenly detected a wisp of energy emanating from afar.

Xu Qi'an suddenly stood up, his right hand moving faster than his brain, and grabbed the hilt of the black-gold longsword.

On the other side, Chu Xianglong also opened his eyes, his gaze sharp.

The two did not exchange glances, but instead looked south together. In the darkness, a figure slowly approached, carrying a silver spear on his back; it was Yang Yan.

Upon seeing him, Xu Qi'an and Chu Xianglong both revealed their nervousness and anticipation.

The former bent down to pick up the water bag, went to greet him, and asked, "Boss, how's the situation?"

Yang Yan took the water bag, drank it all in one gulp, and said in a deep voice, "There was a dragon lying in ambush at Liushi Beach, and the boat sank."

As expected, there was an ambush. It was exactly what I feared. Is Murphy's Law universal? Xu Qi'an's heart sank, and his last bit of hope vanished.

Is there really an ambush?!

Chu Xianglong gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, the campfire reflecting in his slightly contracted pupils.

"Boss, please have a seat. I'll go call the people from the Three Departments over. They should listen in and understand the situation." Xu Qi'an gestured for Yang Yan to sit down by the campfire and handed him a package containing dry rations.

Then, he entered the tents one by one, waking up the censor, the vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and the head constable of the Ministry of Justice, Chen.

Officer Chen emerged from the tent, saw Yang Yan, and without thinking, asked with a hint of urgency, "Yang Jinluo, were you ambushed?"

The two censors and the vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review kept a close eye on Yang Yan.

"There's an ambush at Liushi Beach, and the boats have sunk. If we hadn't changed course, we would have been wiped out today." Yang Yan's expression was grave.

There really was an ambush, there really was an ambush. The Dali Temple official's heart sank to the bottom.

The entire army wiped out? The two censors' expressions changed slightly. They looked abruptly at Xu Qi'an, bowed, and said, "Thanks to Lord Xu's keen insight in anticipating the ambush, we escaped a calamity."

The head constable of the Ministry of Justice, Chen, looked at Xu Qi'an with more respect in his eyes, completely convinced of the enemy of his superior.

"Let's talk inside the tent," suggested the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Xu Qi'an nodded, summoned Chen Xiao who had already woken up, and instructed, "Don't sleep tonight, everyone stay alert and patrol carefully."

Having overheard the entire incident, Chen Xiao understood the seriousness of the matter and nodded solemnly, "Rest assured, sir."

Xu Qi'an immediately followed the others into the tent.

The princess, who was curled up asleep in the corner of the carriage, was awakened by a commotion of footsteps, the clanging of armor, and chatter.

The maids in the carriage had already woken up and were peering out the window.

"What's going on with all this noise so late at night?"

"Weren't you sleeping soundly? Why did you suddenly go out on patrol?"

The princess felt a chill run down her spine. She lifted the thin blanket, rubbed her eyes, pushed open the carriage door, and carefully jumped down.

She caught a group of imperial guards who were preparing to go out on patrol and asked, "What are you doing?"

The soldier at the front glanced at her a few times and said, "Yang Jinluo is back. It's said he was ambushed at Liushi Beach and his boat sank."

A soldier behind him added, "If it weren't for Lord Xu changing the route, we would all be wiped out today."

The princess was startled, overwhelmed by a strong sense of lingering fear.

There really was an ambush, and it was aimed at me. Luckily, he was there, and luckily he reacted in time. She patted her chest, and at that moment, a strong sense of security welled up inside her.

The unremarkable princess took a deep breath, turned around, and returned to the carriage.

"You went to ask, didn't you? What happened to them?" the maids hurriedly asked.

"There was an ambush on the waterways; the ships have sunk," the princess said calmly.

Inside the carriage, gasps of alarm rose from all sides, and the maids showed expressions of fear.

"Why, why was there an ambush? Why did they ambush us?"

"Thank goodness Lord Xu was quick-witted and led us by land early on."

Whispers arose, and the maids discussed amongst themselves.

The princess wrapped herself in a thin blanket, curled up in a corner, hugged her shoulders, and trembled slightly.

She felt the cold in the pitch-black night, a cold that came from the depths of her being.

Someone please save me.

P. S.: I'm feeling terrible today. I had a headache all day, and I felt completely out of it sitting in front of the computer. It's so awful. I need to go to bed early and get some rest. Remember to correct any typos.