Liu Rumeng was a little flustered for a moment, unsure how to answer. Fortunately, at this moment, the two princes by her side, Liu and Zhao, spoke almost simultaneously.
"Your Highness, do not rush. This matter requires further discussion."
"Indeed, Your Highness's situation is still unclear. If we rashly enter the city and fall into the same trap as the young girl and her companions, we will be in trouble."
Xiao Jingyun sighed helplessly, "Very well, then allow me some time to reconsider."
Meanwhile, in Qingniu County town, Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying waited at Shen Ziyan's home until the sun was high in the sky, finally receiving news from Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi himself delivered the message. After careful investigation, he confirmed that Liu Xiaobao had left Qingniu County town yesterday afternoon, heading towards Jizhou.
Upon hearing "Jizhou," Huang Ying's heart skipped a beat. She immediately thought of Chen Sanqiu's experience of stealing Qiao'er.
"Alright, someone must have recognized Sister Hongyu and taken her to Jizhou to claim merit from Zhu Meng."
Shen Ziyan nodded slightly upon hearing this, "Regardless of whether it's for merit or not, we must pursue them towards Jizhou."
He then turned to look at his maid, Xiao Hua, "You and Du Juan return to Hetou Village and inform Chen Xiaobei of the situation."
Speaking of which, she suddenly froze and slapped her forehead, "Ah, Chen Xiaobei is still on Qingniu Mountain. What should we do?"
Huang Ying pondered for a moment and came up with an idea. She turned to Du Juan and said, "Do you remember our 'Er Tijiào'? It's in the west wing room. After dark, have the village guard team help you set off three or four tonight. If Chen Xiaobei sees them, he'll surely know something has happened down the mountain."
Du Juan nodded and rode off with Xiao Hua to Hetou Village.
Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying tidied themselves up and set off in the direction of Jizhou.
At this time, Chen Xiaobei was already walking back with a large group of people.
Not only was he walking back, but he had also brought Chen Dayong and others down with him. Since the iron chain bridge had been repaired, the villagers no longer needed to go up the mountain. The villagers had already taken their share of the vast military supplies, and one shouldn't be too greedy.
His most important reason for coming up the mountain was to ensure the safety of Chen Dayong and the others. Bringing them down safely now was more important than anything else.
The rest was left to Liu Ce's soldiers, but Chen Xiaobei believed that Liu Ce and his men would not withdraw anytime soon, at least not until the situation in Jizhou was resolved. Therefore, a significant portion of the supplies would still be used.
As dusk fell, everyone had reached the Mountain God Temple. Liu Ce and his soldiers were reluctant to move on. After all, they had been on the mountain for so many days, and they were tired and wanted a good night's rest.
Although Chen Xiaobei really wanted to return, he understood that one shouldn't force others. Therefore, he also chose to stay at the Mountain God Temple to rest, going along with everyone's wishes.
Just then, a string of fiery lights suddenly appeared at the foot of the mountain, one after another, illuminating the area.
Liu Ce's soldiers were unsure what it was and discussed it amongst themselves.
"What is this?"
"Why is it so bright?"
Chen Dayong and the others knew what it was. After a glance, Chen Xiaobei said, "Brother Xiaobei, is that the thing you made?"
Chen Xiaobei naturally knew it was the "Er Tijiào" he had made. He had only a dozen or so left at home. Now, four were set off consecutively at the foot of the mountain, which could only mean one thing: something had happened at home, and it was a major incident.
Thinking of this, he cupped his fists and said to Liu Ce, "Steward Liu, I apologize. You rest here, I must descend the mountain tonight."
Liu Ce understood that Chen Xiaobei's sudden departure down the mountain must have been because he saw the "Er Tijiào" at the foot of the mountain.
With this thought, he said in a deep voice, "Brother Xiaobei, since there's something happening at home, we won't rest either. Let's go back together."
If they were going back together, Chen Xiaobei was also happy to have company. The group stopped resting and hurried down the mountain.
Eager to return home, by the fourth watch in the middle of the night, Chen Xiaobei and his group were back from the mountain.
Xiao Hua and Du Juan were sleeping in the old house with Chen Qiao'er.
It was said they were accompanying her to sleep, but in reality, it was mainly Chen Qiao'er who slept, while the two took turns dozing off.
Every now and then, they would take turns coming out to look outside, listen for any movement, and see if anyone was coming down the mountain.
Finally, Xiao Hua saw the dogs in the yard stirring, and then all the dogs in the village began to bark.
Xiao Hua immediately rushed into the house and gently woke Du Juan.
"Quick, quick, there's movement. I'm afraid someone is coming down the mountain."
The two of them rushed out in a hurry and, mustering their courage, ran to the back of Chen Xiaobei's old house. They saw a string of continuous fiery lights on the mountain. Great!
The two of them quickly ran forward, shouting as they ran, "Brother Xiaobei, Brother Xiaobei."
Hearing their calls, Chen Xiaobei was quite surprised. A sudden sense of foreboding washed over him, and he quickly walked forward to meet them.
"Xiao Hua, Du Juan? Why are you two here?"
As soon as he asked this question, Xiao Hua and Du Juan burst into tears.
Seeing their reaction, Chen Xiaobei became even more anxious. He stamped his foot, "Oh, don't cry! Tell me what happened."
At this moment, the village guard team members who had heard the commotion also arrived.
Chen Xiaowen, a member of the village guard, spoke first, "Brother Xiaobei, something big has happened! Sister Hongyu is in trouble. She's gone missing in the county town."
Chen Xiaobei's eyes widened in anger. He threw down his torch, grabbed Du Juan's shoulders with both hands, and shook her violently. "Tell me quickly, what happened? And where are Huang Ying and Qiao'er?"
Xiao Hua, suppressing her grief, wiped her tears and briefly explained the situation.
"Sister Huang Ying and Sister Ziyan have already gone to Jizhou to pursue them. They sent us back to set off the 'Er Tijiào' to inform you."
Chen Xiaobei's fury erupted upon hearing this.
Cui Hongyu was his absolute weakness. He didn't have the strength before, but now he was no longer the Chen Xiaobei of the past. He would never forgive anyone who dared to harm Cui Hongyu.
Chen Xiaobei turned to Liu Ce and said, "Steward Liu, this is an emergency. I must go to Jizhou. Please take good care of Hetou Village for me."
Having said that, Chen Xiaobei rushed into the courtyard. At this moment, Chen Qiao'er had also been awakened. She was rubbing her sleepy eyes and looking for someone. Seeing Chen Xiaobei return, she immediately burst into tears.
Chen Xiaobei turned to Du Juan and Xiao Huang and said, "You two stay here and make sure to take care of Qiao'er."
With that, he led out his horse, ready to depart. Just then, Liu Ce, leading a dozen or so people, walked in.
"Brother Xiaobei, the journey to Jizhou is long. We are all worried about you going alone. I'll send some people to accompany you."
Chen Xiaobei's heart warmed upon hearing this. "Steward Liu, your kindness is beyond words. We shall part ways here."
What moved Chen Xiaobei even more was that when he reached the big locust tree, Liu Tie, along with Yang Zhi, Yang Chun, and more than a dozen others, all fully armed, were already waiting there.
"Brother Xiaobei, the young lady instructed me before she left to ensure your safety. If you are going to Jizhou, then I must go too."