The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 81 - Invasion

If Song Chuyi's memory was correct, at this time in her previous life, the Tatar Rebellion broke out in Tongzhou. Hundreds of Tatar soldiers crossed the Zijing Pass and infiltrated Tongzhou, committing arson, murder, and robbery.

The men of Yongshun and Songzhuang villages were almost entirely killed, and the elderly, women, and children only escaped by hiding in the ancestral hall.

Unexpectedly, such a major event occurred during this trip. Song Chuyi smiled bitterly with a sense of helplessness.

This was not something that could be resolved with mere words in the inner courtyard. She looked at the dark sky outside the carriage and suddenly felt very small.

Ye Jingchuan lowered his head for the time it took to drink a cup of tea before sighing.

This Sixth Miss of the Changning Marquis' residence was indeed extraordinary. It was astonishing that such a young girl had such keen instincts.

He turned to his subordinates and ordered, "Send fifty men to search the villa for suspicious individuals! Leave another one hundred and fifty men to surround the villa's exits!"

The immediate priority was to clear the villa and secure a place to stay.

Song Chuyi nodded and instructed Qin Chuan through the carriage curtain, "Uncle Qin, take Uncle Zhang and the tenant workers' roster and check each person against it. Make sure everyone matches the roster."

She had Hongyu, Qingtao, and others with her, and many of the tenant workers at the villa had brought their families. Safety was paramount.

Qin Chuan nodded and immediately led Uncle Zhang with the roster to search the villa with the soldiers.

"What are your plans next, Brother?" Song Chuyi asked after a moment of silence. "In my opinion, this matter is of great importance and should be reported to the court as soon as possible."

The Tongzhou granary stored enough grain to supply the capital for one or two years. If anything went wrong, no one could bear the responsibility.

In her previous life, the matter in Tongzhou was blocked by Xingfu of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and it was not reported until later when the warehouse was burned, and Yongshun and Songzhuang villages were destroyed. The news then spread.

This incident shocked the court and the public. The Ministry of War quickly took action, deploying three major camps to extinguish the rebellion. However, it was too late. Although they exterminated the seven or eight hundred Tatar soldiers, the leaders managed to escape.

It was only at this moment that Ye Jingchuan truly believed that Song Chuyi was indeed so clever, having guessed the crux of the matter.

By now, the villa had been thoroughly searched. Uncle Zhang and Qin Chuan carefully compared the roster with the soldiers and indeed found two unidentified individuals.

Those two, who couldn't even speak Chinese, were clearly not from the Great Zhou.

Song Chuyi's suspicions were confirmed, causing a storm of emotions within her. Returning to the capital now was clearly not a suitable option; they might be attacked by those Tatar soldiers halfway.

She put on her veil hat and, supported by Qingtao, got off the carriage.

Then she finally saw Ye Jingchuan. This was the first time in both her past and present lives. In her previous life, she had been confined to the inner courtyard, and Ye Jingchuan had gone to Fujian at the age of fourteen, eventually becoming a brilliant general.

Ye Jingchuan bore some resemblance to his elder brother Ye Jingkuan. He was slender, with handsome features, sword-like eyebrows, and sharp eyes—the epitome of the most popular male beauty in the Great Zhou. At this moment, he was also looking at Song Chuyi, his eyes filled with curiosity and, more so, with shock.

It turned out that this Sixth Miss was at most seven or eight years old, and her height barely reached a few inches above his waist...

While he was in a daze, Song Chuyi had already walked up to him.

"Brother, your early arrival here indicates that you were already aware of the situation," Song Chuyi looked up at him. "But it seems that things have now spiraled out of your control."

Indeed, he had chased the people all the way here, but they were very cunning, scattering and splitting up. His men couldn't easily split up to pursue them...

Ye Jingchuan was somewhat agitated. He naturally knew what the consequences would be if this matter escalated.

Precisely because of this, he couldn't let the situation blow up. The implications were too wide-reaching. The commander of Zijing Pass, Yuan Hong, would be the first to suffer, and Yuan Hong happened to be his uncle...

"Tongzhou is a military stronghold, and it also houses the largest granary in the world. If it falls, the consequences would be unimaginable!" Song Chuyi emphasized. The young man in front of her had not yet experienced the baptism of war, and his assessment of the situation was far from the precision and rationality he would have in the future. She steadied herself and said firmly, "And today's incident with the Li family is just the beginning. This matter must be reported to the court immediately, without delay."

At this moment, a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar beside Ye Jingchuan finally nodded and took over Song Chuyi's words: "Captain, this young lady is absolutely right. This matter should be reported immediately!"

Ye Jingchuan looked at Song Chuyi, his brows furrowed, seemingly still hesitating.

Song Chuyi couldn't help but shake her head and smile bitterly, sighing as she looked at him: "There's another matter that cannot be ignored. I've heard that the Crown Prince is inspecting the hunting grounds in the suburbs of the capital. If these people were to wander there..."

As soon as she said this, everyone present felt a jolt in their hearts.

Ye Jingchuan finally made up his mind and immediately turned to instruct his men: "Take thirty soldiers and head to the capital immediately to report this matter truthfully to my father!"

Song Chuyi also turned to Qin Chuan: "Uncle Qin, please accompany them to the capital and report this matter to my grandfather! This matter is urgent, and my safety is assured with Brother Ye here."

Qin Chuan had already sensed the seriousness of the situation. Although he was still worried about Song Chuyi's safety, he knew that the matter was urgent and only he could handle it. He gritted his teeth and nodded.

Ye Jingchuan watched the people leave, then turned to look at Song Chuyi for a long time before cupping his hands in a salute: "Thank you, Sixth Miss, for waking me up with your words. Otherwise, I would have made a grave mistake."

Song Chuyi shook her head. The scholar beside Ye Jingchuan was obviously a retainer, and he seemed to be clear-headed. Even if she hadn't reminded him, this person would have thought of it sooner or later.

She had merely bought a little more time for the people of Tongzhou and herself.

Sure enough, almost as soon as she finished speaking, the scholar suggested to Ye Jingchuan with a serious expression to find the prefect of Tongzhou: "The granaries in the central, southern, eastern, and western areas are of utmost importance. If something happens, it will be uncontrollable. We must discuss with the prefect and have the magistrates of the four counties lead their people to guard them strictly! Also, send more people to patrol within Tongzhou, and kill any suspicious individuals on sight!"

This matter required Ye Jingchuan to personally discuss it with the prefect. Ye Jingchuan nodded, left a hundred men with Song Chuyi, and went to discuss with the prefect himself.

Uncle Zhang was so shocked that his face turned pale, and large drops of sweat dripped down his forehead and armpits.

Nanny Xu was much calmer and personally stepped forward to support Song Chuyi: "No matter what, since the villa has been thoroughly searched, it's safer to go inside first."

Uncle Zhang finally came to his senses, wiped his sweat, and immediately had the carriage unloaded and the horses fed.

Qin Chuan left all seventeen guards he had brought with him, and they all followed closely behind Song Chuyi.