Hiding above the eaves of the street, the assassins with cold arrows saw that the carriage was impervious to their shots, so they had no choice but to draw their knives and fight with a dozen burly guards in regular clothes.

These assassins were all dead men, ruthless and not afraid to die, treating injuries as nothing.

The guards gradually found it difficult to defend themselves.

One assassin knocked down the coachman, opened the carriage door, but before he could see clearly inside, he was kicked away.

The martial maid guarding the carriage door stood her ground.

The situation was becoming dire when suddenly the thunderous sound of hooves and the clang of iron armor could be heard from the front.

Not far away on the street, a troop of iron riders appeared, led by Xie Chi with the personal soldiers of the Xie family rushing over.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the assassins quickly retreated, but iron riders also surrounded the street from behind.

The assassins who had no way out were soon caught.

After getting off the carriage, Xie Huan glanced at the carriage.

The walls and wheels were full of arrows, resembling a porcupine.

The arrows were stuck in the gaps between the wheels, and the carriage could not be moved.

Xie Huan turned to Qin Sheng in the carriage. “Miss Qin, this carriage can no longer be used. We need to change to another one.”

The guards of the Duke’s mansion cleared a path, and a coachman brought another carriage with a felt canopy.

The martial maid helped Qin Sheng out of the carriage, and coincidentally, Xie Chi also dismounted.

He glanced at Xie Huan’s scalded hand and asked, “Brother, what happened to your hand?”

Hearing Xie Chi’s question, Qin Sheng felt guilty.

She was about to speak, but Xie Huan said, “It’s nothing. The assassins attacked suddenly, spilling the tea on the carriage and splashing it.”

Xie Chi glanced over and didn’t ask any more questions.

He ordered the soldiers to tie up the assassins and return to the mansion.

Qin Sheng bit her lip, unconsciously twisting the handkerchief in her hand tighter.

Xie Huan had shifted the topic away, so she couldn’t bring up the fact that she accidentally knocked over the teacup anymore.

But his intentional or unintentional protection made Qin Sheng feel somewhat confused.

On the way back, Xie Huan didn’t ride in the same carriage as her.

Qin Sheng had just experienced a scare and felt a bit weak leaning against the carriage wall.

The wind was strong in the north, and the felt curtain of the carriage was occasionally lifted by the wind.

From Qin Sheng’s perspective, she could see the two brothers of the Xie family riding side by side.

One was in armor, and the other was in Confucian robes, both of them extraordinary.

Qin Sheng sighed, “The Future Lady of the Marquis mansion is so fortunate. Both the eldest son and the young master are respectful to each other, and they are both outstanding individuals. One literary and one martial, with them around, there’s nothing to worry about in Beiting.”

The martial maid, in her thirties, was an old servant in the mansion.

Seeing Xie Huan’s protection of Qin Sheng, she spoke to Qin Sheng without any reservation, saying, “It’s a pity for the eldest son. If it weren’t for catching a cold after falling into the water in his childhood, ruining his health, he would be able to practice martial arts and fight like the Former Crown Prince’s”

Qin Sheng thought that Xie Huan was originally skilled in literature.

Hearing the maid’s words, she couldn’t help but be surprised. “Falling into the water?”

The maid recounted an old story from the mansion, “The eldest son fell into the pond when he was young. His birth mother, in a bid for favor, pushed him into the pond on a snowy day.

It was the Lady who did it. Little did she know, this almost cost the eldest son his life.

After being rescued, he had to take medicine as food for years, and it took more than a decade for his health to improve a bit.”

Qin Sheng was shocked for a while and didn’t know what to say.

During her time in the Xie Mansion, she had never heard of these hidden secrets.

After a while, she stuttered, “How could one’s own flesh and blood… be treated like that?”

The martial maid mentioned the deceased aunt with some emotion, “It’s probably because of unwillingness. The eldest son’s birth mother, Lady Zhao, was a maidservant favored by the Old Madam back then.

When the Marquis was ordered to defend against the barbarians of Beiting, the Old Madam forced the Marquis to take Lady Zhao as a concubine on the brink of death.

The Marquis, being the only son of the Xie family, the Old Madam feared that something might happen to him on the battlefield, so she begged him to leave an heir for the Xie family.”

The Xie family originally served in the imperial court of Bianjing and only settled in the borderlands from the generation of the Marquis.

“Lady Zhao gave birth to the eldest son at that time. She was already the most favored maidservant by the Old Madam and gave birth to the eldest son for the Marquis.

The servants in the mansion treated her as the lady of the house.

Later, when the Marquis returned victorious and was promoted, the Old Madam arranged for the Marquis to marry a proper wife.

The Marquis and his wife got along harmoniously, and he never visited Lady Zhao’s quarters again.”

“The servants in the mansion respected the Madam, but Lady Zhao harbored resentment.

She often harassed the eldest son, causing him to fall ill.

She would then cry and beg the Marquis to visit the eldest son…

The worst incident was when she pushed the eldest son into the water.”

Qin Sheng listened with her heart almost in her throat.

She herself was born with congenital deficiencies, weak and sickly.

She knew what it felt like.

She never expected that Xie Huan’s health had been worn down by his birth mother in this way.

She couldn’t help but ask, “How was the truth discovered later?”

The martial maid said, “Lady Zhao cried to the Old Madam, asking her to intervene.

The Old Madam punished Lady Zhao to kneel in the ancestral hall.

Unexpectedly, after the eldest son woke up, he pointed out that it was Lady Zhao who pushed him.

The Marquis was furious, punished Lady Zhao with a beating, and intended to sell her.

Lady Zhao said she would rather die than leave the Xie family and directly slammed her head against something and died.”

“The Madam ( Main Wife of Marquis ) pitied the eldest son for losing his mother at such a young age, and since the Marquis had no other concubines, she kept the eldest son by her side, taking care of him meticulously.

When the eldest son fell ill, the Madam stayed up all night to take care of him. Although not her biological son, she treated him as such.”

“Later, when the young master was born, the two brothers had a better relationship than those born from the same mother.

The young master was mischievous when he was young and refused to study.

He played tricks on several tutors and ran away.

When the Marquis was not at home, it was the eldest son who took him to study and learn.

Only then did he obediently comply.”

As the maid spoke, a smile finally appeared on her face. “When he was a little older, the young master found out that the eldest son was weak and couldn’t practice martial arts with him, so he always stood in front of the eldest son.

At the age when he could barely draw a bow, he dared to go hunting in the mountains with the guards and brought back a silver fox to make a cloak for the eldest son.”

Qin Sheng listened quietly, pulling open a slit in the carriage curtain and looking at the Xie brothers sitting on their high horses in front.

She couldn’t help but think of her own three siblings, feeling a bit melancholy.

Her elder brother and sister had always been kind to her since she was young, always accommodating her.

Yet, she was incapable and couldn’t help her siblings.

Instead, her siblings had to find ways to protect her.

She hoped that the captured assassins today could reveal some useful information.

Once back at the Marquis’s mansion, the Xie brothers took the captured assassins to the dungeon for interrogation.

At first, several assassins remained stubborn and refused to confess.

Xie Huan proposed separating the interrogations.

The assassins were imprisoned in different cells, unable to coordinate their stories.

After being tortured and interrogated separately, they didn’t know what each other had confessed to.

Xie Huan then deceived them, claiming that someone had already confessed, and used both torture and psychological pressure.

Finally, they managed to get the truth out of these assassins.

The results of the interrogation shocked the Xie brothers.

They mistook Qin Sheng for the third daughter of the Governor of Liangzhou.

Xie Chi demanded, “How did Liangzhou fall?”

The severely injured assassin, covered in blood, shook his head vigorously, “I truly don’t know. I was only ordered to chase and kill the son and daughter who escaped from the Pei family.”

His injuries were severe, and further torture might have killed him.

Observing his expression, Xie Huan felt that he was not lying and signaled for Xie Chi to have him taken away.

Two guards dragged the assassin away, leaving behind a striking bloodstain on the ground.

Xie Chi threw the whip soaked in salt water to the side and rubbed his wrist. “The Pei family still has survivors. It seems that only the Pei family knows the truth about the fall of Liangzhou.”

Once the Pei family members are found, having them personally identify Li Xin will be far more effective than relying on that letter.

No wonder Li Zhong was so anxious to target Qin Sheng.

However, with Liangzhou falling into the hands of the Northern barbarians, the people of Chu within the city were all captured and enslaved.

The most beautiful women were selected to serve the Northern barbarian leaders.

Whether the third Miss Pei could survive was uncertain, let alone escape from Liangzhou.

Xie Chi fell silent for a moment, then turned to his elder brother. “When Liangzhou fell, the former Crown Prince of Chu had not yet gained momentum.

The Pei family suffered a calamity of extermination.

If the third Miss Pei wants to clear her family’s name, she would only seek out forces opposing Li Xin.

If she is still alive, she would either seek refuge with the Prince of Huainan in Wu County or come to Beiting.

But compared to Wu County, Beiting is closer to Liangzhou, so I think there’s a high probability she would come to Beiting.”

Xie Huan nodded. “You lead people to carefully investigate around Beiting. I will go see Father and have him send a letter to the former Crown Prince of Chu, asking them to also pay attention.

The former Crown Prince of Chu has yet to rise to power, and the Pei family was wiped out before pledging allegiance to Li Xin.

The third Miss Pei may also have gone to Jianghuai to seek refuge with the former Crown Prince of Chu.”

The two brothers acted separately.

When Xie Huan returned to his courtyard after finishing his tasks, he saw Qin Sheng’s maid waiting at the courtyard gate.

Upon seeing him, the maid bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Grand Prince. Miss Qin asked me to deliver some medicine.”

She handed over a small bottle. “Miss Qin instructed you to apply this medicine to the burned area morning and evening. It will heal quickly and without scarring.”

Xie Huan suddenly remembered that his hand had been scalded by spilled tea, but it hadn’t hurt for a while.

He still accepted the bottle of medicine and said to the maid, “Please thank Miss Qin for sending the medicine.”

After the maid left, Xie Huan looked at the bottle of medicine in his hand. “Scarring?”

For some reason, his brow furrowed.

He walked into the room, placed the ointment in a drawer under the desk, and took out another bottle of medicine from a brocade box.

Then, he headed towards Xie Chi’s courtyard.

Xie Chi was doing handstands against the courtyard wall, his handsome face strained.

Suddenly, a glimpse of blue robe appeared in his line of sight.

He looked up and saw his elder brother’s refined face.

Xie Chi straightened up as his brother approached. “Brother, why are you here?”

Xie Huan handed him the bottle of ointment he had taken from his drawer. “I remember you have a scar on your hand. This is a scar removal ointment. Use it.”

Xie Chi glanced at the bite mark on his hand, which had long since scabbed over.

He waved his hand nonchalantly. “I have plenty of scars from knives and arrows all over my body. I’m not a little girl. Why would I care about this?”

Xie Huan dragged him to a nearby stone table, scooped out a large chunk of ointment, and applied it to the bite mark on Xie Chi’s hand. “Forget about the others, but having a bite mark on your hand. What would your future wife think if she saw it?”

Xie Chi recalled the bite he received that day, and his face darkened. “When I marry in the future, I’ll have to marry a girl who’s ready to fight me with a knife and spear.

Those delicate noble ladies, I can’t fight with them or scold them.

If I get bitten again, I guess I’ll just have to endure it. A girl who knows martial arts is better!”

Xie Huan didn’t say anything.

After applying the ointment, he generously covered it with another thick layer, as if he couldn’t wait for the bite mark to disappear in the next second.

Seeing his brother’s eagerness to apply the ointment, Xie Chi felt touched and a little embarrassed.

His brother hadn’t been this kind to him in a long time!

Meanwhile, Li Zhong stationed his fifty thousand troops on the border of Beiting.

Due to strict orders from above not to plunder the local civilians, the group of bandits, accustomed to looting and pillaging, had to hide their true colors.

But it hadn’t been said they couldn’t plunder the Hu merchants!

The Hu merchants entering Beiting were almost all stripped of their wealth by Chen Jun, and those who resisted were brutally killed.

Word spread quickly, and the Hu merchants dared not approach cities where Chen Jun was stationed.

Instead, they took detours through neighboring cities to enter Beiting.

Under Li Zhong’s command, a lecherous young officer hadn’t captured any beautiful Hu women for quite some time.

Bold and daring, he bypassed Chen Jun’s territory and raided the Hu merchants in the cities governed by Beiting.

Avoiding direct confrontation with Beiting, they ambushed the merchants on their way into the city, killing and looting before fleeing.

The Beiting officials and soldiers in the city were powerless to stop them.

Coincidentally, Lin Zhao arrived in Beiting with her Women’s Army and three thousand elite cavalry on that day.

They intended to transport the accompanying goods from the imperial tomb to the Western Regions for sale.

Remembering Qin Zheng’s instructions before leaving, Lin Zhao planned to inquire about the market from the Hu merchants to avoid being undersold.

However, upon seeing the southern military forces, the northern Hu merchants fled like rats seeing a cat, leaving no chance for Lin Zhao to approach them.

Confused, Lin Zhao assumed that it was because of the chaotic times, and merchants feared encountering soldiers.

With only half a day’s journey left to enter the city, Lin Zhao ordered the army to halt and rest where they were.

She climbed a sand dune and looked out over the desolate desert.

Beyond lay the Hexi Corridor, which had been seized by the Northern barbarians.

Under the vast, desolate sky, a sense of desolation overwhelmed Lin Zhao.

One day, she would lead her troops to drive the Northern barbarians out of Chu!

A scout rode up and reported, “Captain, there’s a Chen army about five miles ahead, looting a group of Hu merchants.”

Lin Zhao didn’t want any trouble, but hearing that it was the Chen army, she couldn’t help but grit her teeth in anger. “How many are they?”

The scout replied, “Less than five hundred.”

Lin Zhao couldn’t sit still any longer. “I knew these Hu merchants along the way would run at the sight of us. Turns out, it’s the Chen dogs causing trouble again! Take a thousand troops with me to see what’s going on!”

The cold north wind whipped up dust from beyond the Great Wall, carrying with it the pungent smell of blood.

Beneath the sand dunes, dead horses and escorts lay scattered about.

In the caravan, Hu women were hoisted onto warhorses by Chen soldiers, who punched and kicked them as they struggled, their cries mixing with the soldiers’ sinister laughter, making the scene all the more chilling.

A veiled Hu woman sought refuge inside a silk-clad carriage, holding a five or six-year-old child tightly in her arms.

The carriage door was violently flung open, and a group of soldiers surrounded it, snatching the piled-up silk from the outside, revealing the women and child inside. “Damn, there’s still a woman hiding here!”

The soldiers dragged the woman out of the carriage, leaving the child behind.

The child cried uncontrollably, trying to follow after her. “Sister…”

The soldier laughed even more wickedly. “So, there’s another woman here! Who knows, maybe she’s still a chick!”

He reached to pull off the woman’s veil, revealing the face of a woman from the Central Plains—beautiful and delicate, with eyebrows like ink and eyes like water—leaving the soldier breathless.

While he was stunned, the woman’s hairpin had already pierced his neck.

The soldier’s eyes widened, but he couldn’t make a sound.

Another soldier came over to check the situation.

The woman pretended to embrace him, her hand covering his neck, her wide sleeves hiding the hairpin.

Seeing this, instead of avoiding her, the soldier walked directly towards her, as if he wanted to take advantage. “I’ve never seen someone so eager…”

The woman’s pupils shrank.

The ground began to tremble slightly, and all the soldiers stopped their movements and looked towards the distance.

Down from the sand dunes on both sides, a cavalry unit rushed forward, like a black wave rolling in the desert.

The flag of “Chu” fluttered in the wind.

The commanding officer was shocked. “How could there be Chu troops here?”