Chapter 492: Chapter 474: Life-Saving Amulet_2
The eight Jinyi Guards took turns keeping watch, each sleeping for two hours. It was Chen Mo’s shift for the first half of the night. The room where Fengyu was imprisoned had always been used for detaining prisoners; its doors and windows were sealed shut, leaving only one exit at the doorway. Fengyu, being a frail woman, was bound tightly—they didn’t worry about her escaping. There was also a Jinyi Guard stationed on the rooftop as a sentinel. The courtyard was like an impenetrable fortress, making any attempt to escape exceedingly difficult.
"Boss, this Third Miss has always been weak and sickly. She likely doesn’t have the ability to escape. You should go get some rest. Brothers will guard the night and notify you if anything happens." A Jinyi Guard drank wine to stay alert under the corridor. Chen Mo also sat under the corridor, resting with his eyes closed. Directly across from him was the room where Fengyu was held.
"Don’t underestimate her," Chen Mo said faintly.
"She’s just a woman who can’t even kill a chicken—how formidable could she be? She can’t carry and can’t hold things. There’s even medication in her water; she should be deeply asleep by now. We’ve rushed for three days on horseback, and there’s no way her people could keep up or even know our location."
They all felt confident that abducting Fengyu this time posed little difficulty and that they would certainly succeed in bringing her to the capital.
Chen Mo continued resting with his eyes closed, not replying. The several Jinyi Guards on night duty spoke no further. Only the cool moonlight illuminated the courtyard. After three days of relentless travel, everyone was utterly exhausted. The Jinyi Guards stood watch in pairs, taking turns to nap.
Chen Mo knew that capturing Fengyu and bringing her back to the capital could only end in success—it could not afford failure. He focused intently, though his concern wasn’t Fengyu escaping but rather Nuanyang leading the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry in pursuit and discovering their trail. Thus, along the way, Chen Mo kept Fengyu unconscious, rushing for three consecutive days to ensure she couldn’t leave marks for Nuanyang.
Having served beside Yuwen Jing for many years with unwavering loyalty, Chen Mo understood Yuwen Jing’s intentions. When Fengyu fled the capital, Yuwen Jing didn’t take it seriously. To him, Fengyu, the daughter of a merchant family, was insignificant and incapable of stirring up trouble. At the time, Yuwen Jing hadn’t expected Fengyu to leave the capital overnight. Once Feng Changqing and his wife were captured, Yuwen Jing sent people to search for Fengyu, intending to use her to force Feng Shu into compliance. He then discovered that Fengyu had departed the capital even before Feng Changqing and his wife were arrested, taking Baofeng Bank’s silver reserves with her.
Previously, Yuwen Jing had used Feng Changqing and his wife, as well as Old Mrs. Feng, to pressure Feng Shu into submission. Feng Changqing and Su Yuejiao, being strong-willed, gave Yuwen Jing no opportunity. They almost succeeded in committing suicide in front of Feng Shu, declaring that if Feng Shu yielded, they would descend to Huangquan to reunite with Marquis Zhenbei.
As military generals unafraid of death, Feng Changqing and Su Yuejiao would never live dishonorably if not for their daughter. Yuwen Jing’s plan of using Feng Changqing and his wife to threaten Feng Shu failed, leaving him to rely solely on Fengyu.
But Fengyu had already left the capital. Feng Changqing and Su Yuejiao had foreseen this and ensured Fengyu was sent away early. The Feng sisters shared deep affection, and Feng Shu would undoubtedly yield for her younger sister’s sake.
Later, Feng Shu grieved at Xiangguo Temple. By leveraging the lives of the Feng family, Yuwen Jing succeeded in forcing Feng Shu into submission and then ceased to care about Fengyu.
He even knew that Fengyu was reclaiming wasteland and pushing agricultural reform in West State, securing control of the Salt and Iron Department and severing trade links between Sannan and West State’s iron mines. Yet Yuwen Jing dismissed it all, assuming she was merely implementing Xie Jue’s policies. Without Fengyu, someone else could easily fulfill the role.
It wasn’t until the plague in Yangzhou that Yuwen Jing’s attitude changed. Xie Xun and Fengyu’s efforts to save lives gained the adoration of the Jiangnan populace. Fengyu even took half of the Su Family’s Trading House funds, leaving Yuwen Jing empty-handed and costing Lin Cheng, an important military figure.
From that point on, Yuwen Jing resolved never to let Fengyu go.
Killing Xie Xun and Xie Jue proved exceptionally difficult—Xie Xun’s martial skills were unparalleled, and Xie Jue surrounded himself with capable individuals. Fengyu, who had lived in West State for years, was similarly well-protected, making any attempt impossible.
However, Fengyu oversaw many affairs and naturally couldn’t avoid joining locals for excursions over hills or fields. Leaving the city provided an opening. To capture Fengyu alive, Yuwen Jing had ordered Chen Mo a year ago to prepare covertly. Ten Jinyi Guards were sent in disguise as locals to settle in West State and monitor the City Lord Mansion.
They gathered and documented Fengyu’s daily affairs—when she dined, her food preferences, when she exited the city, why she left, and the paths she took. Gradually analyzing patterns and patiently collecting intelligence for a year, they waited for Han Ziqi’s raid on West State to exploit the ensuing chaos to abduct Fengyu. Unexpectedly, West State’s fierce bandits united, defending the city and thwarting their best chance to seize Fengyu.
This time, with Sannan and Beiman raising armies simultaneously and battles raging across northern and southern battlefields, Yuwen Jing initially planned for Zhongzhou forces to conquer the Twelve States, reclaiming its territory and letting the Beiman Army tie up Xie Xun. But Fang Chuning acted deceitfully, and Marshal Fang defied orders, sending Fang Chuning with troops to aid against Beiman.
The Lanzhou Prefecture brazenly resisted imperial edicts, blocking Sannan’s army. The Prefecture had received a secret order from the court upon Beiman’s mobilization, instructing them to allow Sannan forces to cross their territory.
They indeed let Han Ziqi’s 10,000 troops launch a raid on West State but inexplicably obstructed Sannan’s primary force of 160,000.
Marshal Fang then gained the justification to dispatch forces to resist the enemy.
If Sannan’s army had directly passed through Lanzhou to attack Jiaozhou, Marshal Fang’s intervention would have been seen as rebellion. After Yuwen Jing’s plans fell apart, his patience wore thin, and he had no choice but to order Chen Mo to personally head to West State to capture Fengyu alive.
A year ago, his directive when sending Jinyi Guards into West State was to capture Fengyu alive but to kill her on-site if forced.
But now, she must be captured alive.
Fengyu had become his lifeline.
Thus, Fengyu could neither die nor escape—she had to be brought back to the capital alive.