Ch 18: A Dark And Stormy Night
“What are you doing? Spit it out, you’re acting like a woman!” The Adjutant saw Wei Li’s hesitant manner and was furious. If the timing weren’t wrong, he would have grabbed Wei Li by the neck and beaten him up to find out what was going on.
Wei Li’s lips trembled. “His Highness the Prince and the Princess are spending time together to cultivate their relationship. We should go over there.”
“Cultivate their relationship? Cultivate their relationship in this place? How do they cultivate their relationship?” The Adjutant furrowed his brow, wanting to ask Wei Li again.
“Jiang Meng.”
Shen Yunheng’s voice came from behind. The Adjutant trembled violently, turning his head to see the man standing silently behind him like a ghost.
The Adjutant’s body trembled. He was about to explain when Shen Yunheng lightly glared at him, and he instantly fell silent.
Shen Yunheng knelt down, his gaze sweeping over the trees in front of him, then landing on the brightly lit village in the distance.
Shen Yunheng pointed to the empty space beside him. “Get down.”
Shen Yunheng had already gotten down.
Meng Tingyue only then understood why the Crown Prince had said that when he came, and asked her to change her clothes.
It turned out that they were here to ambush, and to feed the mosquitoes at the same time.
Meng Tingyue frowned tightly as she lay on the ground. The clothes she was wearing today were soft, but the grass on the ground was hard and itchy against her skin.
Perhaps because someone was beside her, she didn’t feel very cold.
Meng Tingyue waved her handkerchief around to drive away the mosquitoes.
After a while, her hand felt sore.
She couldn’t help but glance sideways at Shen Yunheng, who was as steady as a mountain beside her.
The cold moonlight fell, softening the sharp and strong lines of his profile.
Shen Yunheng seemed to be carefully listening to Wei Li’s report.
Meng Tingyue listened hard for a while, only vaguely hearing fragments of their conversation, something about “the investigation is complete,” and something about “the bait has been set.”
Every time she tried to eavesdrop for a little longer, she would be interrupted by the buzzing mosquitoes.
Meng Tingyue complained in a low voice, “Annoying mosquitoes, why are you only biting me? There’s another living person right next to me.”
Shen Yunheng glanced at Meng Tingyue, seeing her covering her face with her handkerchief, her head bobbing, muttering incessantly.
“Don’t bite me, don’t bite me, my blood tastes bad, his blood tastes good…”
Whoosh—
Meng Tingyue’s head swayed, and a faint, unique fragrance entered her nostrils.
“Hmm, what is it?”
She pulled the clothes away from her head. In the darkness, she couldn’t see what was in her hand, but she could tell from the smell on the fabric that it was Shen Yunheng’s clothes.
She couldn’t see Shen Yunheng’s expression, and her soft inquiry received no response.
Insects buzzed incessantly around her ears, so she simply covered her head with the clothes to keep them away.
The wait was boring and tedious. To avoid the mosquitoes, Meng Tingyue completely hid herself in Shen Yunheng’s clothes. The air was filled with Shen Yunheng’s unique Dragon Scale Incense fragrance, and her ears were unusually quiet.
“Your Highness, there’s no need for you to come in person.” Wei Li killed a mosquito that flew in front of him, his tone serious. “These insignificant rabble, Your Highness doesn’t need to risk yourself. We can handle them.”
The surrounding area was swallowed by ink-like darkness. Wei Li couldn’t see Shen Yunheng’s expression, but he could hear the low voice carried by the evening breeze.
“It’s fine.”
Shen Yunheng’s reply was concise and to the point. Wei Li didn’t dare to ask more questions, and instead turned to the main topic.
“Your Highness, the lights in the houses in the village are out, everything is ready, just waiting for Your Highness’s order.”
Before Shen Yunheng arrived, everyone listened to Wei Li and the Adjutant’s orders. As soon as Shen Yunheng appeared, everyone followed his lead.
Shen Yunheng’s sharp eyes darted through the night, scanning everything around him.
The lights in the village ahead gradually went out, slowly swallowed by the darkness. The moonlight, as if sensing the impending storm, quietly hid behind the clouds.
It was pitch black, you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. But Shen Yunheng’s heart was clear as a mirror. He knew that the soldiers ambushed around him were like arrows on a string, waiting for his command to strike swiftly.
The person beside him seemed to have merged with the night, without the slightest movement, seemingly already asleep.
“Stay alert, there must not be the slightest slack.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Wei Li answered softly, then disappeared into the darkness. His soft instructions and light footsteps gradually faded into the distance until they completely vanished into the night.
Shen Yunheng lay on the ground, the sound of receding footsteps echoing in his ears, his vigilance undiminished.
The clouds above were still thick, and it was pitch black around. It was just a group of bandits, not as cunning as enemies on the battlefield, but he still dared not be careless.
These bandits had appeared out of nowhere around Jingdu, their origins mysterious and unclear. They had quietly infiltrated this small village, using innocent people as shields; their intentions were sinister, and they were certainly not ordinary people.
If they had used the people as shields, they would have been eliminated by the Court long ago, and there would be no need for such careful planning.
It was quiet all around, and Wei Li had also led his men into the village.
Every person had the layout of the village courtyards deeply ingrained in their minds.
As soon as they entered the village, Wei Li raised his hand, signaling for his soldiers to split into several groups and disperse.
Through their observations, they had already determined the bandits’ exact location; all they needed to do was rush in and subdue them.
This in itself was not a difficult task, and the plan was well-laid and meticulous. Wei Li hadn’t expected Shen Yunheng to come and supervise in person, and he was even more determined to make this a flawless operation.
The people were all asleep, and Wei Li and the soldiers moved very lightly as they opened the doors and entered the houses.
His gaze swept over the bed, and a sense of foreboding struck him. He raised his knife and turned to defend himself.
Flames erupted in the village, and at that moment, the bright moon broke through the thick clouds. Moonlight poured down, illuminating the surroundings.
Shen Yunheng saw this, his eyes dark and deep.
These bandits weren’t unconscious from the medicine.
He stood up, his aura cold and serious, “Jiang Meng.”
The Adjutant stepped forward at the sound.
“This subordinate will immediately lead people to support.”
“Try not to injure the people.” Shen Yunheng’s voice was low.
“Yes.”
The Adjutant led the remaining men to provide support.
Meng Tingyue pulled the clothes away, sitting on the ground somewhat disheveled, breathing unevenly, her cheeks flushed and hot from being suffocated.
She wrapped the clothes around herself and stood up to Shen Yunheng’s side. In the moonlight, she vaguely saw the swords and shadows in the village, along with the cries of the people and Wei Li’s orderly commands.
Meng Tingyue turned to look behind her. Ling Xiao, along with several soldiers, were protecting several physicians carrying medicine chests.
“Crown Prince… Crown Prince Brother, the medicine you used didn’t work?”
Shen Yunheng glanced at her, “Your ears are quite sharp.”
Meng Tingyue smiled, “That’s right. But Crown Prince Brother, are you sure you’ve found all the bandits in the village, that there are no omissions?”
Shen Yunheng furrowed his brow, staring intently at Meng Tingyue, his eyes cold. “Do you know what you are saying?”
Meng Tingyue seemed a little cold, she shrunk her neck, but showed no fear of Shen Yunheng’s intimidating gaze. “If they were ordinary bandits, His Highness the Crown Prince certainly wouldn’t use such underhanded tactics as drugging them.”
“If I’m not mistaken, the bandits have a close relationship with the villagers. Great Zhou soldiers have always been loyal and loved the people, and they would never easily harm them. The bandits are using this to their advantage.”
“His Highness the Crown Prince chose this dark night to use such underhanded methods because he didn’t want to harm the villagers. But Your Highness may not be able to fully understand people’s hearts. Are you really certain that all the villagers are innocent?”
