Chen Rong wasn’t patient herself; she irately snapped: “Why are you asking me? How would I know?”
Startled, Old Shang slowly lowered his head.
At this time, Chen Rong ordered him to use the carriage so that they’d have a way to leave even if the refugees came to them.
“Aye.”
“Right, isn’t Nan’yang situated in the south? Let’s try going south,” Chen Rong said soon after. She thought that there would surely be less barbarians the further south they went, even if there were likely more displaced refugees.
Old Shang hollered, flung the whip, and drove south.
The sun slowly dipped west as they went on, plunging them in more apprehension.
On their left was an endless mountain range; on their right was forever barrenness. Completely deserted, the road ahead seemed to have no end in sight.
At this point, Chen Rong quietly said, “We don’t have to go on.”
Old Shang turned around.
Chen Rong slightly turned her head to the side to look at a cleft. She pointed and said, “We’ve gone for so long without seeing anyone. That must mean that it’s safe here. This place isn’t so bad. Let’s spend the night here and think of something tomorrow.”
“But miss, we’re so deep in the mountains, what if wild beasts are around?”
Chen Rong started to scream at him: “Then tell me what are we supposed to do? It’s gotten dark, Nan’yang had closed all its gates. Even if we knew our way, we wouldn’t be able to get in.”
Old Shang was given a scare. He hung his head, flung the riding whip, and drove the carriage toward the cleft Chen Rong had spoken of.
They went around a small hill to enter the cleft. It was small and narrow. A short hillside blockaded its front while a mountain backed into it. It had just enough space for five carriages to fit.
Chen Rong hopped down. She looked left and right before murmuring: “It’s winter, I reckon there aren’t any beasts around.” So she said, but what did she know about the habits of wildlife? They were nothing but self-comforting words.
Looking at the only entrance to the cleft, Chen Rong whispered: “Old Shang, should we block this place with a boulder?”
Old Shang looked at her and asked, “To block the wind?”
Of course not! As Chen Rong was about to blow up, she suddenly thought to herself: If they discover us here, what use would the boulder be? Anybody could move it, and besides, if someone or a beast were to come down from the hill side, we could escape by carriage. Blocking would only stop our own vehicle.
Thinking so, she closed her mouth.
It got dark frightfully fast.
Chen Rong stayed in the carriage while Old Shang sat on the driving seat. They listened to the rustling grass outside as they whispered to each other.
At a time so quiet, the roars of wild beasts and incessant insect chirping were more pronounced in the night. The rush of cold wind made any light breathing feel like a movement.
The more she listened, the more Chen Rong grew fearful.
Just then, Old Shang spoke in: “Miss, are you afraid?”
His voice was trembling a little.
While Old Shang was old, he was a house servant who had grown up in the estate, and had never gone through adversities.
“I’m alright,” Chen Rong softly replied. She paused, and then ordered, “Stop talking and listen. Is that the sound of hoofs?”
In the silence, Old Shang answered after a while, “I don’t hear anything.”
“Oh.” It was uncertain whether Chen Rong’s answer was filled with disappointment or relief.
She did not know that, at this time, two hundred guards were escorting a carriage toward the city gate.
Outside the carriage, a servant leaned in and whispered to the man inside: “Master, they’re only speculating words of an old servant. It’s not worth using up the prince’s badge for such a trifling matter.” Ever since the Hu army began to push south, once it got dark, the city gates would close from all four sides. No one could come in or out. Only a handful of families such as the Wang could get three badges and have three opportunities to enter or leave after curfew. This was largely thanks to the presence of members of the Lang’ya branch. The Chen estate, for example, only had one such badge.
After a while, a smooth and pleasant voice mildly replied, “They aren’t speculating words. I never sent her an invitation.” The speaker was Wang Hong.
He swiftly lifted the curtain.
As he watched the people on the street and the last glimmer of the setting sun in the west, a faint smirk formed on his ethereal countenance. “Using my name to call her out? I hate this kind of thing.”
The servant nodded.
At this time, the troop had arrived at the gate.
The city gate had been closed. His servant rode forward, raised a badge and loudly stated, “My master Wang Hong of Lang’ya wants to leave on urgent business.”
An officer rode forward. As he was about to deny them exit, the servant held up another badge and then threw it at his feet. “This was given to our master by the Prince of Nan’yang.”
The officer picked the badge up. He at once clasped hi