Zhu Meng frowned upon hearing this, "But won't we bear the infamy?"
Zhang Liao chuckled, "We are not the ones sitting in the north facing south. Whether it's a bad name or a good name, who will remember it in a few years?"
After hearing Zhang Liao's words, Zhu Meng finally made up his mind.
"Alright, then let's test it with this little girl first. If it doesn't work, we'll arrest everyone in Hetou Village."
With that, Zhu Meng picked up his brush and wrote a letter, ordering someone to take it up the mountain and shoot it across the river with an arrow to Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun.
Meanwhile, Shen Ziyan had already entered Qingniu Mountain.
Fortunately, the mountain path was rugged and not suitable for the army to station. So, along the way, apart from occasionally encountering soldiers passing messages up and down, the journey was relatively smooth. Before noon, Shen Ziyan reached the steep slope.
It was impossible to proceed further from here. Tents stretched as far as the eye could see. It would be almost impossible for her to advance stealthily, so she had to find another way.
Shen Ziyan leaned against a large tree, ate a couple of bites of the dry rations she carried, and closed her eyes with a hint of fatigue.
She had been on the move non-stop since last night and was indeed tired.
As she was dozing off, she suddenly heard a rustling sound nearby.
Shen Ziyan opened her eyes and looked to the side. A soldier was humming a tune and walking towards her.
He unfastened his belt as he walked, clearly intending to relieve himself.
A thought struck Shen Ziyan. She quietly got up and looked around. No one was nearby. She reached out and took out a flying dagger.
With a flick of her wrist, a flash of cold light disappeared, and the dagger accurately lodged itself in the soldier's throat.
The soldier didn't even grunt before his body slowly collapsed, motionless.
Shen Ziyan stepped forward, stripped off his armor, and put it on herself.
She found a bush, tossed the body inside, and Shen Ziyan swaggered out of the woods.
She proceeded unimpeded all the way to the steep slope.
Wooden planks had been laid at the steep slope, forming steps, making it very convenient to ascend and descend.
There weren't many guards at the steep slope. The soldiers nearby were either chatting in small groups, or leaning against rocks and trees, dozing off. No one even glanced at Shen Ziyan as she passed.
Thus, Shen Ziyan confidently blended into the army camp and continued forward.
At this moment, a carrier pigeon landed in Lu Dong's command tent.
After reading the letter, Lu Dong frowned and handed it to Wang Long.
Wang Long also looked concerned after reading it, "To force the Crown Prince down the mountain by threatening a child, it seems a bit unsportsmanlike."
Lu Dong nodded, "Indeed. When we followed His Majesty to conquer the world, we didn't even kill a woman. Today, with 300,000 troops, we are resorting to using a child to capture Xiao Jingyun."
Wang Long gave a wry smile, "I really can't bring myself to do this."
The atmosphere became a bit awkward. The two hesitated for a full hour, and the sky was already darkening.
Finally, Lu Dong sighed, "Fine, fine. It's just a message. The child wasn't captured by us to be used against Xiao Jingyun. If they really capture him, we will escort him down ourselves. That should be enough. As for how to deal with him, that's Zhu Meng's business."
After they agreed, they fetched fresh paper and wrote another letter.
The letter was addressed to Xiao Jingyun, informing him that a child named Chen Qiao'er had been captured below the mountain and that if he wanted the child to live, he should descend the mountain and surrender.
Soon, this letter reached Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun.
After reading the letter, Xiao Jingyun was furious. He slammed his fist onto a nearby rock, "Scoundrels! Utterly inhuman! They are using a little girl to threaten me."
Liu Rumei, standing nearby, saw the name Chen Qiao'er and her heart tightened. She quickly said, "Your Highness, this is Chen Xiaobei's sister."
What?
Xiao Jingyun was stunned. Then his mouth twitched a few times. He slowly sighed, "So be it. Chen Xiaobei has helped me so much, it's time I repaid him."
Just then, someone suddenly shouted, "Look!"
Everyone followed the sound and saw a burst of fire light on the opposite side of the canyon, followed by a muffled bang.
Then another burst.
Three consecutive bursts of fire light, and three consecutive muffled bangs.
Upon seeing this, Chen Xiaobei leaped to his feet, and the other village defenders also stood up.
Chen Dayong blurted out, "Firecrackers!"
Yes, firecrackers. Chen Xiaobei was very sure it was firecrackers.
And they were the ones he had made.
But he had given all of them to Cui Hongyu to take to Wuguling.
Huang Ying, also frowning, said, "Who would go there to set off firecrackers?" Her eyes suddenly lit up, "I know! It must be Sister Ziyan! Only she could find a way to get through the army camp."
Hearing Huang Ying's words, Chen Xiaobei's mood instantly sank to the bottom of the sea.
If it was truly Shen Ziyan setting off firecrackers, it could only mean one thing: there was an emergency situation below the mountain.
With this thought, Chen Xiaobei made a decision. He had to go down the mountain.
As soon as he made up his mind, Chen Xiaobei turned and went to find Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun.
When he heard Chen Xiaobei wanted to descend the mountain, Xiao Jingyun immediately understood. The firecrackers just now were their signal for communication.
Since that was the case, there was no need for him to hide anything. Xiao Jingyun handed him the letter in his hand.
"Brother Xiaobei, take a look. I have implicated you."
Chen Xiaobei took the letter and his entire body began to tremble with rage after a glance.
"Zhu Meng is too shameless, using children! I won't take your surname if I don't finish you!"
Looking at Chen Xiaobei now, he was practically seething with anger. Seeing his fierce demeanor, Liu Rumei was shocked.
She never expected that such a seemingly gentle and refined person could be so terrifying when enraged.
Xiao Jingyun also felt a bit frightened by Chen Xiaobei's appearance.
Liu Rumei, standing nearby, immediately stepped forward, took Chen Xiaobei's arm, and said softly, "Brother Xiaobei, don't be anxious. Let's discuss what to do."
Her gentle words gradually calmed Chen Xiaobei down.
He cupped his fists towards Xiao Jingyun and said, "I apologize, Your Highness. I lost my composure just now."
Xiao Jingyun's expression was grim as he said in a deep voice, "This is all my fault. I have implicated you. I will go down the mountain immediately to exchange for Chen Qiao'er."
Liu Rumei wanted to speak, but after looking at Chen Xiaobei, she felt unable to. What should she say? She couldn't possibly advise Xiao Jingyun not to go, could she? What would Chen Xiaobei think?
Chen Xiaobei, however, shook his head slightly. "Your Highness, if they can force you out by capturing one Qiao'er, then they will capture another and force the Princess out. If they capture hundreds of villagers, you will be completely wiped out. Who will Da Cang rely on then?"
"But if I can't even protect an ordinary citizen, what kind of Crown Prince am I?" Xiao Jingyun's voice was sonorous and powerful.
Hearing his declaration, Chen Xiaobei felt a trace of relief. At least this was a Crown Prince with a sense of responsibility.