Upon seeing the attire of these individuals, Liu Rumei’s brow furrowed. They appeared to be common folk, yet upon closer inspection, their clothes bore creases, suggesting they were newly worn. While one person might be excused, it was too coincidental for everyone to be dressed in such a manner.
Liu Rumei shot Xiao Qing a glance, then looked at the noodles in her bowl. The unspoken message was clear: eat your noodles and don’t stare.
The people nearby, noticing the two women alone in the corner appearing somewhat audacious, began to whisper amongst themselves. “Afterward, everyone disperse and find out where the Crown Prince is staying as quickly as possible.”
So that was it. Liu Rumei immediately understood. They were spies. However, she remained outwardly calm. After finishing her meal, she beckoned Xiao Qing to leave with her.
“Miss, why didn’t you let me act just now? I could have dealt with those few people in a flash.”
Liu Rumei shook her head. “No, we don’t know how many accomplices they have. If we fail and Zhu Meng finds out, we’ll be in a passive position.”
Xiao Qing sighed. “They’re looking for the Crown Prince’s whereabouts. What should we do?”
Liu Rumei smiled faintly. “Find a way to spread a rumor that the Crown Prince is at our Liu Manor.”
“I think Zhu Meng and his men will definitely come to our home.”
“But what if they discover the Crown Prince isn’t here? What if…”
Liu Rumei smiled gently. “Although I’m not familiar with Zhu Meng, most of his subordinate generals were once my father’s subordinates. They won’t do anything to me, and of course, I won’t do anything to them either.”
Hearing this, Xiao Qing could only agree and turned to make arrangements.
As expected, at noon, Zhu Meng and his men arrived outside Qing Niu County. Shortly after, a scout returned with news. Upon hearing that the Crown Prince was staying at Liu Rumei’s manor, Zhu Meng’s brow furrowed.
“Alas, if he’s staying here, what should we do?”
Wang Long, standing beside him, spoke up again. “Marshal, I received a favor from Lord Liu. I absolutely cannot act within the Liu Manor.”
As he spoke, several others chimed in with agreement. “Yes, yes. Lord Liu treated us well back then. How can we act within his residence?”
Observing the discussion, Zhu Meng inwardly pondered. If he were to forcibly order an action within the Liu Manor, would these men truly follow him? It seemed unlikely; it would only alienate them. It would be better to go with the flow. With this thought, he chuckled. “You all received favors from Lord Liu, have I not? Since the Crown Prince is at the Liu Manor, after we have lunch, we will change into plain clothes and accompany me to pay our respects to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Zhu Meng’s demeanor was certainly humble, and it earned him the goodwill of his men.
Meanwhile, on Qing Niu Mountain, a different scene was unfolding. Liu Ce, Ma Biao, and others, along with Chen Xiaobei and the village defense team, were still busy transporting supplies. Based on the estimated speed, it would take at least until noon the next day to move all the supplies from the steep slope across the rope bridge.
Liu Ce and Ma Biao walked side-by-side, discussing how to deploy their men for layered ambushes. “In my opinion, the steep slope will be the first line of defense, and the rope bridge the second.”
“As long as we have the repeating crossbows, we can hold the rope bridge.”
Listening to their discussion, Chen Xiaobei couldn’t help but chuckle. Liu Ce turned to look at him, asking in surprise, “Brother Xiaobei, why are you laughing?”
Chen Xiaobei gestured behind him towards the steep slope. “You’ve been on the steep slope too. Do you think there are any strategic points there to defend?”
“Thirty thousand troops will be swarming in, and you have only one or two hundred men. Trying to hold the steep slope is simply wishful thinking.”
“You.” Liu Ce, angered, was about to retort but found himself unable to. Chen Xiaobei’s words were all too true.
Chen Xiaobei then turned to Ma Biao. “You just said that with repeating crossbows, you could hold the rope bridge. If the enemy has tens of thousands of archers gathered by the river, you won’t be able to get near the rope bridge. How will you defend it?”
Ma Biao was also stunned. He exchanged a look with Liu Ce. Both were filled with surprise. They truly hadn’t expected that Chen Xiaobei, who looked like a mere child, would have such a profound understanding of warfare.
In reality, Chen Xiaobei had no profound understanding. He had simply watched too many war movies and TV series in his previous life. Under such conditions, for one or two hundred men to hold back thirty thousand troops, there would need to be an absolute natural barrier, the kind where one man could hold off ten thousand. Clearly, the rope bridge was not that.
Liu Ce, with a smile, cupped his fist towards Chen Xiaobei. “Then, in your opinion, what should we do?”
“It’s very simple. Dismantle the rope bridge and face them across the river.”
Upon hearing this, Ma Biao became anxious. “No, no! If we dismantle the rope bridge, we won’t be able to get out either!”
Liu Ce clapped his hands. “Brilliant! Brilliant! That’s what we’ll do. Dismantle it. They won’t be able to cross the rope bridge, and we… we can get down.” He then smiled knowingly.
Ma Biao instantly understood. Ah, right. Liu Ce had been to the mountaintop before; there must be other routes. “Oh, then tell me, where can we descend the mountain?”
Liu Ce’s words had just reminded Chen Xiaobei. Indeed, a way down the mountain. He had found an excellent descent route just two days ago, which could bypass the steep slope and the Mountain God Temple. Thinking of this, he smiled even more happily.
Tian Wen was also as happy as Chen Xiaobei. Following the trail left by the Lotus Cult Master, he finally saw a rope stretched across the river ahead. Seeing this rope, he was completely relieved, letting out a long sigh. “I knew it! The Lotus Cult Master and his followers went down the mountain. That’s the proof.”
Ma Han and the others also cheered. “That’s great! We can go back to the city.”
Tian Wen nodded. “Yes. Thank you all for your hard work. Fortunately, there was no real danger in the end. I will request merits from Her Highness the Princess for you upon our return.”
Just as Tian Wen and his group were crossing the river, Zhu Meng and his officers entered Qing Niu County. Arriving at Liu Rumei’s manor, Zhu Meng appeared very polite, personally stepping forward to knock on the door.
With a creak, the door opened. Xiao Qing poked her head out and, after a careful look at Zhu Meng, exclaimed in surprise, “Are you Marshal Zhu?”
Zhu Meng smiled and nodded. “Please inform them that Zhu Meng has come to pay his respects to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Xiao Qing feigned ignorance. “His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“Do you know what place this is?”
This question stumped Zhu Meng. He rubbed the back of his head. “Isn’t this Miss Liu Rumei’s residence?”
Xiao Qing bowed. “Yes, Marshal. This is my young lady’s residence, but we don’t have a Crown Prince here.”
Hearing this, Zhu Meng was dumbfounded. Just then, Liu Rumei’s voice sounded from the courtyard behind Xiao Qing. “Xiao Qing, what is it? Why are you making such a fuss outside?”