"My lord, news has arrived from the capital that the imperial envoy has been dispatched to Dongzhou."
The Prefect of Dongzhou heard this and said, "Li Gongcao, what are you afraid of? Have imperial envoys not come before? Haven't they all been sent away by this Prefect? A few more will be the same as before."
The Prefect of Dongzhou thought for a moment and continued, "Have those siblings who have been beating the drum outside the prefectural office expelled. At least until this Prefect has sent away the imperial envoy, do not let them return."
"My lord, why go through so much trouble? Why not..." Li Gongcao made a throat-slitting motion.
The Prefect of Dongzhou said coldly, "Do you think this Prefect doesn't want them silenced forever? But don't you forget, haven't all those you sent away returned empty-handed?"
Upon hearing this, Li Gongcao immediately broke out in a cold sweat and knelt down, begging for mercy, "It is all due to my subordinates' incompetence."
"It's nothing. Those siblings can't stir up any significant trouble. Just lead them away," the Prefect of Dongzhou said.
Li Gongcao nodded, "Yes, my lord."
Outside the prefectural office, a man and a woman stood. Although they appeared travel-worn, their bearing was undeniable.
The woman looked at the closed gate of the prefectural office and said, "Brother, it seems we will return empty-handed again today."
The man said, "If not today, then tomorrow. Day after day, eventually, we will find someone who can uphold justice for us siblings."
At this moment, a small crack appeared in the gate of the prefectural office. As the woman was about to step forward, the man stopped her, "Don't move. I'll go and see."
The man stepped forward, and upon seeing Li Gongcao, he said coldly, "May I know what you are doing, Li Gongcao? Are you going to continue sending people to assassinate us siblings?"
Li Gongcao smiled somewhat awkwardly, "My dear nephew, I was compelled to do so before. The Prefect gave the order. How could I, a mere Gongcao, disobey the Prefect's command?"
"Save the pleasantries. What do you want?" The man ignored Li Gongcao's words and asked coldly.
Li Gongcao said, "My dear nephew, I am still here to help you."
"Help me? I don't need it."
"My dear nephew, don't say that. I am truly here to help you," Li Gongcao said.
"What is it?" the man asked.
Li Gongcao said, "My dear nephew, you may not know, but I've heard that an imperial envoy has been dispatched from the court. Don't you think this is a good opportunity?"
The man frowned upon hearing this, "Is that true?"
Li Gongcao said, "Why would I need to deceive you about this matter?"
"If that is the case, through which route will the imperial envoy arrive?" the man asked.
Seeing this, Li Gongcao said, "I will give you a map. Follow this route, and you are sure to encounter the imperial envoy."
The man took the map handed over by Li Gongcao and left.
Li Gongcao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly called for a subordinate, "Go send people to ambush them and leave no survivors."
"Yes, my lord." Li Gongcao gazed into the distance, smiling with a chilling malevolence, "Captain Liang, soon your two children will join you in the underworld. May your family of three be reunited, and do not thank me too much."
"Your Majesty, after this forest, we will reach Dongzhou tomorrow. We will likely have to spend the night here," Xue Yan said.
"No matter, let us spend the night here!" Xue Zi Ning said.
She and Yan Zhao had split up. Yan Zhao was to pose as the imperial envoy and take the main road, while she and Xue Yan would travel on the less-traveled paths to observe the local conditions.
She assumed Yan Zhao, traveling on the official road, would have already arrived in Dongzhou.
"Your Majesty, this servant will go and gather some dry firewood."
Xue Zi Ning knew that the forest at night was dangerous, and fire was essential.
"Go quickly and return quickly," Xue Zi Ning said.
Xue Yan left.
Xue Zi Ning used the dry branches nearby to start a fire, waiting for Xue Yan's firewood.
Suddenly, there seemed to be sounds of fighting not far away. Thinking that Xue Yan had gone in that direction, she quickly flew up and headed towards the sounds of combat.
Upon approaching, she realized it was not Xue Yan, but a man and a woman surrounded by black-clothed assailants.
The two appeared to be quite young. Although their clothes were patched and mended, they did not seem like ordinary commoners.
The man shouted, "Who sent you? The Prefect of Dongzhou or Li Gongcao?"
The black-clothed assailants remained silent, their attacking moves becoming increasingly vicious.
The woman seemed to be severely wounded, her face pale and devoid of color. The man, while pulling her to evade attacks, had to fight back.
Gradually, the man began to falter. The woman pushed him, "Brother, you should go. If you try, you can surely escape."
"How could I abandon you?" The man shook his head. He and his sister were all that remained of their family. Their mother had instructed him on her deathbed to take good care of his sister. How could he abandon his sister for his own survival?
"But if you don't go, neither of us can leave today."
"So what? Besides, until the very end, who knows if we will die?"
The black-clothed assailants attacked with increasing ferocity. The man was clearly unable to defend himself, and his wounds grew more numerous. Finally, exhausted, he still stood before his sister and roared to the sky, "Why? Can my Liang family truly not have their grievances redressed?"
The black-clothed assailants exchanged glances and surged forward, stabbing at the two.
Suddenly, a silver flash. The black-clothed assailants felt a blinding light flash before their eyes, followed by an immense force that pushed them backward.
This force did not stop until they crashed into the trees.
The black-clothed assailants vomited blood. At this moment, the man picked up his long sword and rushed forward, killing the assailants one by one.
Covered in blood, the man suddenly knelt. "I do not know which heroic benefactor has come to my aid. I am immensely grateful. However, at this moment, I have nothing valuable to offer as thanks, only to kowtow to express my gratitude."
"Brother..." the woman cried. Her brother had never been brought to his knees by hardship or exhaustion, and now he was kowtowing in gratitude. Her heart ached.
"There is no need to kowtow. It was merely a matter of raising a hand."
As a clear voice rang out, Liang Yizhi was slightly taken aback. He had truly not expected the rescuer to be a woman.
"Please show yourself, benefactor." Liang Yizhi cupped his hands respectfully.
Xue Zi Ning slowly emerged from behind a large tree.
Liang Yizhi's gaze fixed upon her. The woman before him was entirely different from any woman he had ever met. An icy aura seemed to emanate from her. Her originally pure and unparalleled countenance, due to this coolness, exuded supreme majesty.
Liang Yizhi withdrew his gaze and bowed respectfully, "Thank you, young lady, for your assistance."
"As I said, it was merely a matter of raising a hand. Young master, you need not be so polite. It is just that this young lady appears to be gravely injured."
Liang Yizhi nodded, "My sister has been poisoned. There is no doctor here, and I fear..."
Xue Zi Ning took out an invitation from her waist and handed it over, "Here is an antidote pill. It should be effective."
Liang Yizhi had no time to consider the authenticity of the medicine. He quickly took it and gave it to his sister.