A Willing Mistake, My Lady – Chapter 94

Utmost Urgency

There’s an Ambush

The broad road was packed with carriages lined up one after another, each neatly covered with oilcloth, stretching in a long line like a winding dragon.

            

Ye Huaiqing looked at the endless convoy before him, astonished, and glanced at the sister-in-law leading the way — dressed plainly and thickly, yet impossible to miss at a glance.

“Sister-in-law, you’ve come to deliver charcoal in the snow¹?” Ye Huaiqing said gratefully.

“You’re too kind, Biaoge². Grain is tight this year, sure, but no matter how tight, we can’t shortchange the men fighting, can we?” Jiang Chenyu had some grievances against the court — in freezing weather, not preparing provisions for soldiers at war, what was that supposed to mean?

            

“Yes, the grain we managed to raise this time isn’t much. Once this batch is delivered, the next military rations will have to come from the whole of Great Qian.” Since the capital couldn’t squeeze out much, the various prefectures and commanderies would have to supply enough grain to last until next autumn. The army’s provisions couldn’t be delayed.

“This sister-in-law may not be talented, but she wishes to offer her humble efforts for her husband. We’ll have to trouble Ye-biaoge to lead our motley crew on the road together.” Jiang Chenyu gave a slight bow.

“What are you saying, sister-in-law? I’m grateful beyond words. You’re all heroes of the Great Qian Dynasty — how could you be a motley crew!” Ye Huaiqing looked at the convoy, which matched the scale of his own grain escort, and felt genuine admiration. He had known his sister-in-law was a businesswoman, but he hadn’t expected her to be a woman of such boldness!

            

“Then we’ll have to rely on Ye-biaoge’s care on the road ahead!”

“We’re family, and you’re Ah Tang’s wife on top of that. Even if I had matters of my own, I wouldn’t let a single hair on your head come to harm — otherwise how would I face him? The road ahead is treacherous, with mountains to cross. Have you really thought this through, sister-in-law?” Bringing along someone else’s beloved wife, Ye Huaiqing still felt somewhat uncertain.

“Ye-biaoge, even if the road is full of hardships and dangers, we’ll do our best to overcome them. We absolutely won’t cause you any trouble!” Jiang Chenyu had originally planned to simply follow behind the main army.

            

“Good, since sister-in-law has made up her mind, let’s set out together!”

“Thank you, Biaoge. But there’s one more matter to trouble you with — the grain here is only half. We truly can’t find enough carriages to transport the other half. I hope biaoge can think of something!”

Originally, the grain, vegetables, and meat combined required 3,000 carriages. But even after commandeering the vegetable carts from the southern farmers, they’d only managed to assemble just over 1,000.

            

“There’s more?” Ye Huaiqing was delighted. A proper, elegant young gentleman, he now grinned so uncontrollably it was almost comical — his lips visibly couldn’t close.

“Leave it to me, leave it to me to handle! We may not have grain, but carriages and manpower — we’ve got plenty!” Ye Huaiqing was so excited his speech quickened. This quiet, unassuming sister-in-law was like a living Bodhisattva³ who had come to save them from hardship, putting his mind at ease considerably.

The grain convoy was delayed another two days, but once everything was in order, they set out.

            

Over 5,000 carriages, escorted by more than 10,000 soldiers. Jiang Chenyu and Jiang Ning brought all their men and hired another 500 brawny fellows to drive the carts.

The southern farmers who had come to deliver vegetables couldn’t return the way they came, so they followed along to the border. Some were excited, some anxious, but the boss had said that as long as the goods were delivered, each person would get an extra 20 taels of silver — far more than what they would earn delivering vegetables.

Money can make the devil turn the millstone — and besides, delivering grain to soldiers at the front was the undeniable duty of any real man.

            

Jiang Chenyu didn’t let Jiang Ning’s efforts go unrewarded, either. She was a businesswoman — she always thought about what benefits she could secure.

Since they were taking the lead in contributing to Great Qian, they deserved some encouragement. Thinking of the tea business Jiang Ning planned to run long-term, Jiang Chenyu negotiated with Shen Yunshu, wanting to get Jiang Ning designated as an Imperial Merchant. They had practically bankrupted themselves to help the court through this crisis — asking for a title wasn’t excessive at all.

Shen Yunshu immediately went to petition the Old Marquis. When the Old Marquis heard that a mere merchant was willing to give everything to support Great Qian’s war effort, he agreed that such a person deserved imperial commendation.

            

With the Old Marquis’s standing in the court, securing a minor Imperial Merchant title was a matter of minutes.

Furthermore, he used this case as an example to encourage merchants and officials to contribute more to the court, directly laying the groundwork for the second round of military grain procurement.

The provisions set out in a grand procession — just leaving the city took an entire day.

            

The fodder for the horses had already been sent ahead before the grain convoy departed.

Jiang Chenyu, Cuiwan, and Jiang Ning shared one carriage. They had laid three layers of new cotton quilts over the hard wooden planks, making the surface soft and warm. The quilts were thick, and at night the three of them huddled together — apart from the cold, it was actually rather lively!

The carriage had been reinforced before Jiang Chenyu went south. It was more spacious than an ordinary carriage, and the cabin walls were thicker and more wind-resistant.

            

Inside the carriage were smokeless Silver Frost Charcoal⁴, a small stove for boiling soup and water, and two large bundles of food and medicinal supplements.

Lastly, Jiang Chenyu had secretly packed two pretty outfits. For travel convenience, she had dressed herself as plainly as humanly possible.

But she was going to see her beloved, after all — how could she not have a few little thoughts? Packing only this much already counted as traveling light!

            

The massive convoy, plus over 10,000 soldiers, naturally traveled unhindered within Great Qian’s borders.

Worth mentioning was that the Second Prince, who had originally been assigned to deliver the grain, was hampered by the Empress’s people. In the end, Ye Huaiqing seized the opportunity and took over the direct escort of the grain to the border.

This left the officials who had planned to skim off a share along the way with no room to act. What’s more, barely two days into the journey, Ye Huaiqing executed two officials who had been secretly stirring up trouble, delivering a stark kill-the-chicken-to-scare-the-monkey⁵ lesson for everyone to see.

            

Only then did everyone remember that this refined, gentlemanly young general had been on battlefields and killed men before.

In weather so cold that water turned to ice the moment it hit the ground, everyone dressed especially thickly, doing their best to retain body heat. The farther north they went, the colder it became. The soldiers all wore specially made boots and gear.

The camp cooks periodically boiled extra hot water to keep everyone from catching colds.

            

Jiang Chenyu buried herself in the quilts, exposing only a pair of eyes to observe the world outside. She had never suffered hardship like this, but the thought of seeing Ah Tang in about ten days made even the bitterness sweet.

Seeing her once was truly difficult, but they had been apart for a year already. If she couldn’t see her soon, she felt she would lose her mind.

Shen Hetang received Ye Huaiqing’s urgent dispatch by fast horse, saying the provisions were already on their way. Calculating the timing, the stone in her heart finally settled.

            

Just a few days ago, she had shamelessly gone to Hongying Stockade — what could she do, Ye Huaiqing’s wife and son were there? When you had a saozi⁶ to call on, you used her, otherwise they would truly have run out of food and arrows.

Though Hongying Stockade had grain to spare, the soldiers under Shen Hetang’s command waiting to be fed were simply too many. Managing to borrow a few days’ rations was already saozi doing her utmost. Shen Hetang was profoundly grateful — she just didn’t know whether Ye Huaiqing would laugh at her if he found out.

But right now, who had the luxury to worry about that!

            

Fortunately, the provisions would arrive soon. She finally had something to look forward to!

The closer they got to Xixing Pass, the heavier the snowstorms grew. As the convoy advanced through the rolling mountains, apart from the crunch-crunch of footsteps on snow, there was also the howling wind echoing through the peaks — low, desolate, and enough to strike fear into the heart.

Jiang Chenyu felt stifled, as though she couldn’t breathe. She poked her head out to look through the window — nothing but gray trees!

            

From the distant woods, a group of soldiers in strange garb suddenly burst forth, shouting and calling excitedly in words no one could understand!

The broadswords in their hands were as long as two children’s arms put together, and some even carried hammers and axes. Baring their fangs and brandishing their claws, they charged toward the convoy — and there were quite a few of them, streaming out one after another, 2,000 to 3,000 in all.

These enemies, powerfully built and toweringly tall, looked like raw-flesh-eating savages, making one’s heart tremble. The cart drivers huddled motionless like quail.

            

The commanding centurion, seeing the ambush, hurriedly gathered his soldiers together and positioned them in front of the merchant convoy. But the mountain road was narrow — it would take a long time for the soldiers from the front and rear to assemble in the middle, and close-quarters combat was difficult.

He could only try to stall for time, letting the soldiers from both ends hurry to the middle.

“Jiang Ning, what’s happening?” Jiang Chenyu sat in the carriage. Seeing the cart suddenly stop, with chaotic, clamorous sounds outside, her heart leapt to her throat.

            

“Someone’s robbing the convoy — don’t come out!” Jiang Ning’s voice was heavy with gravity. Clearly, this was no simple matter.

Cuiwan was eager to peer outside. Jiang Chenyu lifted the heavy curtain and looked out the window — so startled she nearly screamed, but immediately clamped her hand over her own mouth, forcing herself to stay calm.

Foreign soldiers in grayish-blue fur and leather garments, wearing half-armor on their upper bodies, snarled ferociously as they swung their broadswords and clashed with Great Qian’s soldiers.

            

They came fiercely, specifically targeting the group of ordinary civilians in the middle of the convoy. Fortunately, the young commanding officer could hold them off for a while, buying time for the soldiers from front and rear to assemble.

The clash of blades and flash of swords was happening right in front of her. Jiang Chenyu’s heart pounded, and a fine sweat broke out on her forehead. The barbarians’ laughter was terrifyingly eerie — they seemed to possess inexhaustible energy, and the soldiers blocking the front were cut down like radishes, many of them falling.

Cuiwan and Jiang Ning held fast in front of Jiang Chenyu’s carriage. Within a few breaths, the sound of blades hacking at the carriage could be heard.

            

Her hands and feet were numb, and she didn’t dare breathe too deeply.

This carriage was distinctly different from the others — it seemed to have been marked by the enemy, which kept circling around it. Jiang Ning, though strong, had never seen combat like this. At best, she could manage self-preservation.

She had to coordinate with Cuiwan, who blocked the front of the carriage, just to stay alive.

            

Outside the carriage, the cold clashing of swords and blades filled the air. Jiang Chenyu’s spine went numb listening to it.

In the blink of an eye, Ye Huaiqing led the soldiers from the front and quickly arrived at the middle of the convoy, joining the melee. Though the barbarians were fierce, their own side had the advantage in numbers. Coupled with the narrow mountain road, they somehow managed to keep the enemy from breaking through the defensive line, forming a wall of flesh around the grain.

“Listen, my Han friends — we just want a few carts of grain. Share some with us, and we won’t press the matter further. What do you say?” Seeing that they couldn’t gain the upper hand, the barbarian chief switched to a softer strategy, speaking in awkward but quite fluent Chinese.

            

“In your dreams! For jackals and tigers who only know how to brutally plunder others’ grain, we will never show mercy!” Ye Huaiqing glared at the man. This minor Qiang leader had a shrewd face that was completely at odds with the rough image of a barbarian.

He dared to concentrate his fighting strength for a fierce assault, yet could also swallow his pride and sue for peace — not someone easy to deal with.

“Let’s talk it over nicely — it’s better for both sides, don’t you think?” The chief’s triangular eyes looked rather sinister.

            

“Enough nonsense — die!” Ye Huaiqing had no intention of dragging this out. He wanted a quick resolution.

“Since you refuse to appreciate my goodwill, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” The Qiang leader shot a glance behind him.

A tall, thin figure shot straight toward Jiang Chenyu’s carriage, striking Cuiwan in the chest with a palm so fast it was barely visible. Cuiwan was knocked clean off the carriage.

            

Hearing Cuiwan’s cry, Jiang Chenyu threw open the curtain and poked her head out — only to have the tall, thin man seize her by the throat and haul her out.

“A woman, just as expected! Lord Yeli’s calculations were spot on — hahahaha!” Laughing loudly, he grabbed Jiang Chenyu by the waist sash and with several flying leaps returned to his own ranks.

Jiang Chenyu only felt her throat seized, burning so she couldn’t speak, tears welling in her eyes. Then she was grabbed and carried, rising and falling, her head spinning — she had already lost the capacity for fear…!

            

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