The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 97 - Kerosene

Song Chuyi once thought she had lost her passion for this world and did not understand the reason for her existence. When she first reincarnated, she even contemplated why she had to live again.

She had seen through this world, and she was finally able to let go of the feelings that had ruined her life. What sustained her was the unquenchable hatred burning within her heart.

That hatred was for the Cui family, for Song Yan, and for her child who had passed away too soon.

She had thought that when she saw Shen Qingrang again, she would cry, scream, and lose control, wishing she could stab him in the heart with a pair of scissors. But in the end, she did nothing at all.

To the extreme of her hatred, she found herself clearer than ever.

Just like now, she clearly knew the cause of her mother's death and understood that Li Shi was the culprit behind it, yet she could still remain extremely calm and composed.

Song Ren thought she hadn't heard clearly, so he cleared his throat and called her again, "Xiao Yi?"

He seemed to have learned to call her "Xiao Yi" just like the old master and old lady had.

Song Chuyi snapped back to reality, a perfectly timed smile on her lips, making it impossible for anyone to grasp her current thoughts: "Mother, why is she sending me new clothes now?"

Song Ren and Song Jue had called her over because Lady Li was worried about her and had sent over some clothes and bedding.

Song Ren shook his head, feeling it was strange. Knowing the current situation, why would they still be taking the risk of sending over such unimportant clothes?

Either Lady Li was spoiling this daughter too much or truly couldn't put her mind at ease. He sighed internally and instructed them to hand over the bundle sent by Lady Li to Hongyu.

The sun gradually tilted westward, and the wind rustled through the sycamore trees outside.

Song Ren sighed and urged Song Chuyi to hurry back to her room.

Song Chuyi stood still, confused, and looked at Song Ren, pondering whether to voice her concern: "Uncle, I just heard them mention that there seem to be signs of Tatar soldiers gathering nearby..."

Ye Jingchuan had once said that there were at least seven or eight hundred Tatar soldiers who had broken into the border. Even after accounting for the nearly hundred Tatar soldiers killed last night, the remaining force was still a terrifying one.

Moreover, each of them was brave and fearless, willing to fight to the death.

Song Ren furrowed his brows and remained silent, while Song Jue nodded, "Indeed. It seems tonight will be anything but peaceful."

"Have the three main camps still not made any moves?" Song Chuyi felt that something was off. Logically, the Minister of War and others should have reported to the Emperor by now. If Xingfu could stop them the first time, could he stop them the second time?

Or did Xingfu really intend to go his own way, and even watch the Heir Apparent die at the hands of the Tatar soldiers?!

But given the current level of trust the Emperor had in the Crown Prince and his heir, how could Xingfu have the confidence to withstand the Emperor's wrath?

Song Jue shook his head. "I don't know why, but there hasn't been any news up to now. Even if Xingfu agrees to mobilize the three main camps, it may be too late."

Since the Tatar soldiers were already gathering, they would launch an attack by night at the latest, and the three main camps wouldn't be able to arrive here in time.

"What plans do the Prince Consort and the Heir Apparent have now?" Song Chuyi immediately thought of Ye Jingkuan, who had not been seen since the afternoon.

Ye Jingkuan was Princess Rongcheng's husband, and Princess Rongcheng and the Crown Prince were siblings, making him a natural ally of the Crown Prince's faction.

In her previous life, this had indeed been the case; the King of Zhennan had ultimately not supported Prince Duan, instead turning to support the Crown Prince's younger brother, Prince Gong.

Now that the Heir Apparent was here, he would never allow anything to happen to this villa, whether for the sake of the Crown Prince or for his own younger brother, Ye Jingchuan.

"The prince consort has gone to find the supervising censors stationed in Tongzhou. I hope he can mobilize the reserve army..." Song Jue said up to this point before stopping. He turned to look at Song Chuyi. "Do you have any good ideas this time?"

"If he can mobilize the reserve army, that would be the best solution." Song Chuyi's calmness was somewhat unsettling to both Song Ren and Song Jue. Suddenly, she pushed open the window and gazed outside for a moment, then turned back to ask, "Brother, have you noticed that the streets around us are narrow and long? I heard Uncle Zhang say that our wall is only six feet away from the wall of the Zhang family across the street..."

Indeed, there was a big argument and fight over the issue of the middle aisle being too narrow.

Song Jue was a little confused at first, but then he figured it out and suddenly his eyes lit up. He clapped his hands excitedly: "Surround and attack! Ambush from both sides!"

The corridor was narrow, barely allowing three people to pass through. If they wanted to attack the villa, they would have to squeeze through, blocking the entrance of the alley. Then, they could ambush archers within their own walls and the walls of the Zhang family across from them... Not to say they could capture everyone, but at least they could inflict heavy losses!

"Good!" Before Song Ren could react, a cheer came from outside.

Ye Jingkuan then entered with great spirit, glancing at Song Chuyi with admiration before turning to Song Ren. "The young lady of your household is truly astonishing!"

Song Ren hurriedly declined, wanting to call Song Chuyi to step out.

For a girl, having a reputation for intelligence spread too widely was never a good thing.

Ye Jingkuan saw his intentions and quickly stopped him, turning to smile at Song Chuyi. "I heard that the Tartar bandits that invaded the other night fell into your trap and were taken down by that foolish kid, Jingchuan. It seems that Sixth Miss Song is indeed a remarkable girl! Tell me, what other plans do you have?"

"If you're worried they might act out of desperation..." Song Chuyi said unreservedly, looking directly at Ye Jingkuan, and suddenly raised her voice. "You could apply kerosene to the arrows in advance..."

This time, even Song Ren couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Yes, kerosene!

The Tartar soldiers mostly wore heavy and clumsy clothing; if they caught fire, they would inevitably scatter in all directions. Since the alley was so narrow, the faster they ran, the quicker the flames would spread.

The three of them looked at each other, and they all felt a sudden clarity about the situation before them.

Ye Jingkuan felt like he had discovered a treasure, and his eyes sparkled as he looked at Song Chuyi. After a moment, he finally reacted and praised her idea.

Song Ren also felt a significant weight lift from his chest.

From this point on, Song Chuyi wouldn't be able to participate in what was to come. Since Ye Jingkuan had summoned the reserve troops, the gathered townspeople at the ancestral hall should have enough strength to be protected.

Being such a clever person, he surely knew how to minimize the impact of this matter on the Zhennan King's Manor, making it as small as possible.

Moreover, the nearly fifty elite Yulin Guards brought by the Heir Apparent were all exceptional soldiers, ensuring the heir's safety was definitely not an issue.

Now, the only thing left to do was to guard the several alleys to prevent them from splitting their forces to attack from multiple directions.