Mo Sang – CH 002

Chapter 2. Dawn

Wen Cheng, nestled in Da Chang’s arms, slumped over and fainted after a few bounces.

When he slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Li Sangrou’s worried and concerned expression.

“You are awake! How are you feeling?”

“Your back wound is a bit deep, but thankfully, it’s not poisonous, and no bones are broken. Your internal organs are all fine. You were lucky.”

Li Sangrou’s explanation was filled with a deep apology.

This was a shipment of a hundred thousand taels of silver, and on their first dangerous encounter, the cargo was seriously damaged.

Moreover, his injury was due to Da Chang and his men’s miscalculation. She felt deeply apologetic.

Her comment about being lucky was actually a way of saying she herself was lucky.

If this man had died, the hundred thousand taels of silver would have been gone, and her loss on this trip would have been enormous.

“It’s alright.” Wen Cheng, enduring the sharp pain in his back, turned his head to look around. “Where is this?”

“Beidong County.”

After a pause, Li Sangrou said with a hint of embarrassment: “Da Chang is seriously injured, and Jin Mao and Hei Ma are also wounded. If there’s another ambush like this, we definitely will not be able to hold out. What I mean is, you have to reveal your identity.”

Li Sangrou paused, her eyelids drooping slightly.

“Logically speaking, we should only be concerned with escorting goods and should not care who you are or what your identity is, but right now…”

Li Sangrou looked up at Wen Cheng, a wry smile on her face.

“There’s really no other way. Beidong County is right next to Jianle City. No matter who the magistrate of Beidong County works for, if you reveal your identity, he will not dare to openly attack you. Besides, revealing your identity will make it easier for your people to find you.”

“Alright! I will leave it to you,” Wen Cheng answered decisively.

“Which identity should I reveal?” Li Sangrou’s question startled Wen Cheng.

“When I took on the escort mission, I said that even if the Marquis of Yongping, whom you were wary of, was stupid, he would not mobilize so many heavy archers and cause such a commotion on the outskirts of Jianle City just to kill a mere advisor from the Prince’s mansion.”

“You guessed my identity?” After a moment of silence, Wen Cheng looked directly at Li Sangrou and asked.

“You are the Shizi¹ of King² Rui, not his advisor.” Li Sangrou looked at him.

“Yes, my surname is Gu, my given name is Xi, and my courtesy name is Yuedao.”

“Reveal this identity?” Li Sangrou raised an eyebrow.

She had guessed correctly!

“Alright.”

Just as Li Sangrou was about to stand up, a series of sharp shouts came from afar.

“Get out of the way! Get out of the way! The authorities are arresting criminals! They are ruthless killers! Get out of the way!”

Li Sangrou’s face changed. She grabbed her crossbow, fastening the strap to her wrist as she rushed to the window, peering through the crack.

She was on the second floor, a corner window overlooking the bustling street where the inn’s main entrance was located on one side and a deep alley behind the inn on the other.

At that moment, from both ends of the bustling street, seemingly endless lines of constables and soldiers came running, clanging and banging.

“Hei Ma, carry Master Wen on your back. Jin Mao, follow me. Da Chang, stay behind Hei Ma. Do not rush forward.”

Li Sangrou gave the orders, grabbing an oil lamp and sprinkling the oil onto the blanket.

Jin Mao and the others were used to following her. Seeing her grab the lamp, Jin Mao quickly fumbled for a flint and steel to strike a spark. The sparks hit the oil, and the flame immediately flared up.

Li Sangrou grabbed the already burning quilt, kicked open the door, and threw the quilt onto the wooden railing outside.

The fire immediately licked up the wooden post. Seeing the fire raging, Li Sangrou kicked the burning railing downstairs, turned, went back inside, closed the door, and leaped into a deep alley beside the inn.

Hei Ma first lowered Gu Xi down with a rope, then jumped down, carried Gu Xi on his back, and caught up with Li Sangrou, running wildly out of the alley.

Several people rushed out of the alley, bumping into several soldiers. Li Sangrou reacted quickly, shooting one dead. Da Chang charged straight at the remaining soldiers, swinging his arm and sending them flying.

“Hei Ma, ask them who they are, daring to rob and kill an official of the imperial court!” Li Sangrou shouted.

“Hey! Who are you? How dare you disturb my esteemed master!”

The Hei Ma roared, startling Gu Xi for a moment, then he almost burst out laughing.

He was putting on an act!

“I am Gu Xi, the Shizi of King Rui and Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat. Where is Zhao Fengnian? Tell him to come see me!”

Gu Xi’s imposing manner and stern voice were unmistakable.

The opposite side fell silent instantly. The soldiers stared blankly at Gu Xi, carried on the Hei Ma’s back.

“The Shizi is on a mission to Southern Liang and has not returned yet!”

“You audacious thief! How dare you impersonate the Shizi! Kill him!”

A voice came from behind the soldiers, but no one could be seen.

The soldiers in the front ranks were immediately thrown into disarray. They looked at each other, hesitant, their formation crumbling.

“Whether it’s the Shizi or not, just call your magistrate over to see!” Li Sangrou shouted.

The Hei Ma craned its neck and quickly chimed in, “That’s right! Hey! Quickly call your magistrate out to kneel and greet him!”

Gu Xi’s noble and cold demeanor was completely swept away by Hei Ma’s exclamation.

The soldiers burst into laughter.

“Damn it, these days, even actors dare to kill and rob! And dare to impersonate the Shizi!”

Li Sangrou was so angry, she wanted to stomp Hei Ma into a puddle of mud!

“Kill them quickly! A reward of a thousand taels of silver for each one killed!”

“Kill two and get a reward of five thousand taels of silver! Kill them!”

The voice behind the soldiers rose again, laced with ruthlessness and panic.

The soldiers’ eyes gleamed. They jostled each other, shield in one hand, long sword in the other, advancing step by step.

Da Chang stepped forward, blocking Li Sangrou, who stood at the forefront. He clenched his fists and roared. The soldiers paused, then resumed their advance.

Behind Li Sangrou, a long tongue of fire suddenly shot out from the wooden building of the inn, roaring into the air, spewing flames and sparks.

Amidst the roar of the fire, Li Sangrou drew her crossbow, and the two soldiers at the front fell instantly.

The soldiers screamed in terror and retreated hastily.

“Quickly, call the archers! Quickly!”

Li Sangrou lightly touched the ground with her toes, preparing to charge forward, when from behind the soldiers, a sharp whistle blared repeatedly:

“The King’s carriage! Make way! Make way!”

Gu Xi breathed a sigh of relief; finally, they’d arrived.

“Your men?” Li Sangrou stopped, asking without turning her head.

“Yes!”

“Here! Here!” Upon hearing Gu Xi’s single word, Hei Ma immediately began to shout wildly.

Guided by the whistle, they charged straight ahead.

A young man in silver armor on a white horse led the charge, brandishing his spear and using the shaft to clear away the soldiers blocking his path. In the blink of an eye, he reached Gu Xi.

Before the horse had even stopped, the silver-armored youth leaped down and knelt before him, crying, “Shizi, you… I thought you…”

The silver-armored youth’s words trailed off, tears welling in his eyes.

“Our Shizi is alright… Ah? Da Chang!”

Hei Ma, while setting Gu Xi down, approached with a smile to continue the conversation. He had only uttered half a sentence when he caught a glimpse of Da Chang swaying. With a scream, he threw Gu Xi aside and rushed forward, but failed to catch Da Chang. Instead, he was crushed on his back by Da Chang’s sudden fall, screaming in agony.

“My goodness! Crushed… to death… to death…”

Gu Xi, leaning against Hei Ma, was caught off guard by the sudden throw and fell hard, seeing stars.

Jin Mao, a little further away, saw Da Chang collapse, and his eyes turned red with anxiety. He lunged forward but tripped over Da Chang’s foot and crashed headfirst onto him, causing the Hei Ma at the bottom to groan in pain.

Li Sangrou stepped forward and placed her hand on Da Chang’s wrist. After a moment, she breathed a slight sigh of relief; he was exhausted and out of danger.

Relieved of Da Chang’s condition, Li Sangrou quickly turned to look at Gu Xi.

Gu Xi had already been helped up by the silver-armored youth and was fiercely issuing orders to the group surrounding him.

Li Sangrou relaxed, let out a long sigh, and her legs went weak, causing her to plop down next to Da Chang.

They carried the unconscious Gu Xi, taking countless detours, and finally arriving in Beidong County late at night. They entered the city at the crack of dawn, but before they could even re-bandage Gu Xi’s wounds and change his dressings, they were surrounded by people again.

Now, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, she was too exhausted to stand.

Gu Xi was carried in a sedan chair to the Beidong County post station outside the city. Da Chang and Li Sangrou were also carried in.

Li Sangrou watched as the physician examined Da Chang’s injuries, took his pulse, and confirmed that he had indeed fainted from excessive blood loss. Relieved, she took a bath, tended to her own wounds, and slept soundly until the next day.

Translator’s Note:
I usually translate “Wang” to Prince. But for this one, I am using King for qinwang, Gu Xi’s father, since Gu Xi’s siblings are princes, huangzi, and princesses, gongwang. The hierarchy might be confusing to the reader if there are too many princes. There is still an emperor, too. I will add tool-tips to help.