novelaction Chapter 342 There is another army
Chapter 342 There is another army
"Oh my, are you going to fight?"
Seeing the massive army marching away, Ma Xiaofeng marveled at the opportunity, thinking that he was so lucky to come out to take a job to earn some money and actually catch up with the royal infighting.
Fei Wan stared at the march, thinking rapidly in his mind.
I casually asked, "What's so lucky?"
"Fortunately, you might need me to do you a bigger favor and give you more money."
Fei Wan glanced at him and said, "If you are not afraid of death and are capable enough, you can really make a lot of money."
"That's great! Tell me what you want me to do, and I'll make sure to arrange it for you!"
Ma Xiaofeng rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining.
Fei Wan pondered for a moment and said, "Follow me first."
"okay!"
The two men left their hiding place, recalled the horses they had let go, and followed the army from a distance along another mountain road.
There was dry food and water on horseback, so I ate them while riding to fill my stomach and have the strength to continue on my journey.
After following for about quarter of an hour, Fei Wan, who had been running all night, was exhausted, so she took off her cumbersome palace skirt, tore it into strips, tied them together to make a rope, and tied herself to the horse.
He told Ma Xiaofeng to follow him carefully and be alert, and then he lay on the horse's back and fell asleep.
Ma Xiaofeng raised an eyebrow at her actions and said, "You are so relieved. Aren't you afraid that I will sell you to the Queen Mother and run away with the money?"
"You won't." Fei Wan mumbled incoherently with her eyes closed, "She won't give you money either. She will just kill you."
Then he fell asleep quickly, breathing evenly and sleeping soundly.
Ma Xiaofeng chuckled, "She's quite good at sleeping. This delicate and beautiful imperial concubine is quite well behaved, tsk!"
Two horses were riding through the mountains.
During the period, when he encountered scouts sent by the army in front to patrol, Ma Xiaofeng was very alert and hid away in advance, and only reappeared after the other party had gone far away.
Fei Wan slept for nearly half an hour, and the sky was already bright. After waking up, she felt much better. Not long after, the army ahead also stopped to rest and recuperate.
"Mr. Ma, come to work."
"What?"
"Go and spy on the barracks. If you come back alive, one thousand taels will be given to you. If you don't come back, three thousand taels will be given to my lover."
Ma Xiaofeng bargained: "Double it."
Fei Wan shook her head: "I can only add 10%."
"Eighty percent."
"No, at most 30%."
"I won't go unless it's 50%!"
"I can only give you 60%."
"No, it has to be 40%!"
"Okay, deal."
Ma Xiaofeng: “…”
Fei Wan smiled and took out another banknote from the interlayer of the cuffs, adding up the total of 1,400 taels for him to see clearly.
But didn't give it to him.
"I'll give it to you when you come back. Go ahead, and I wish Mr. Ma immediate success."
Ma Xiaofeng snorted, found a safe place to hide the horse and Fei Wan, and sneaked towards the army.
In broad daylight, with the sun shining brightly, it was not easy to get close to an army of tens of thousands of people and spy on their military intelligence.
But Feiwan was not worried about him at all.
In his previous life in Northern Xinjiang, Ma Xiaofeng had been injured and sick, yet he had still managed to complete his espionage missions repeatedly, saving the Liang army from many casualties. Now that he was in good health and agile, this kind of task was not difficult for him.
Fei Wan hid in the woods, waiting for Ma Xiaofeng to return.
The weather is fine in late autumn.
Two horses were resting and eating grass in the bushes not far away.
Tits occasionally flew over the branches, making a dripping sound.
The fresh scent of grass and trees lingers in the nose, with a faint fragrance of flowers.
These are things that are not available in the narrow palace.
It’s still more comfortable outside.
Fei Wan thought that when all the things were done and she had nothing to do, she would definitely leave the trapping palace and enjoy life outside.
She sat quietly under the tree, able to remain relaxed even when big things were happening.
As quiet as a statue, his aura is as gentle as clouds.
A black hare was hopping and eating grass, and it didn't even notice her presence and walked up to her in a daze.
Fei Wan moved extremely quickly.
The dagger hidden close to the body was thrown and hit the hare.
After bringing it back, he quickly peeled the skin, cleaned the internal organs, and wiped away the blood with leaves. He then dug a pit, lit it with a tinderbox, and burned the rabbit in the pit.
Riding a horse is very tiring, so you need to replenish your food at all times.
Ma Xiaofeng came back after a quarter of an hour.
He was wearing a soldier's uniform, which he had stolen from some unlucky guy.
After taking the banknote, he took out some coarse salt from his pocket and rubbed it on the rabbit meat. Then the two of them quickly ate it with some dry food and water.
After praising Fei Wan's ability and craftsmanship, he told her what he had discovered.
"Nam Ding originally had 8,000 troops stationed there. Two separate armies arrived yesterday and the day before yesterday, both from the garrison near the capital, bringing the total to 42,000 men. From what I heard from the Queen Mother and the commander-in-chief, there's another force just as numerous as this one, already halfway on its way. It was just too inconvenient at the time, so I couldn't get any information on its location. They're all rushing to the capital, and from what I hear, there's support in the city."
Fei Wan's expression was solemn.
There's another army!
Moreover, it was obvious that the Empress Dowager took action earlier than the Emperor. She had already mobilized troops before Prince Rui died.
It seems that most of the previous palace struggles were deliberately muddied by the Queen Mother in order to cover up the truth.
It made people think that she was trapped in Ciyu Palace and had no way out.
But behind the scenes, they are making big moves.
If it were only this army, the capital could still cope with it.
But if the two armies combined have nearly 100,000 men...
In addition, no one knows who is behind this in the city.
That would be very dangerous.
Fei Wan immediately asked Ma Xiaofeng to return to Beijing to report the news.
He wrote a few lines on the torn cloth with burnt charcoal, "Leave it to Lord Lu Guinian. He will know how to handle the rest."
"How much is this trip?"
"Two hundred taels."
"Row!"
Ma Xiaofeng climbed onto the horse with the cloth strip in his pocket, and the two said goodbye.
"Please take care of yourself and don't die. I rely on you to support my retirement."
Before leaving, Ma Xiaofeng gave him some caring instructions.
Fei Wan said disdainfully: "Take care of yourself. In two hours, this army will reach the capital. If you can't successfully report the news before them, let alone two hundred taels, I won't give you even two cents."
Ma Xiaofeng chuckled, made a big circle, and sped away in the direction of the army's advance.
Fei Wan cleaned up the fire, covered up all traces, and continued to follow behind the army from a distance.
"Your Majesty, have a bowl of lotus root starch and then rest on the soft pillow. We left in a hurry and didn't bring everything with us. We only have this and a few snacks. Please make do with them."
In the middle of the team, in the empress dowager's carriage, Nanny Shixiang held a bowl of light pink lotus root powder and presented it to the master.
The Queen Mother asked her to feed him twice.
He frowned.
"This time it's too sweet, and a little bitter. It tastes different from usual."
Shixiang advised, "Take a few more sips. This time, I'll brew it as usual: mix it with cooled boiled water first, then pour it over with boiling water. You didn't get enough rest last night, which affected your blood circulation, so I added some ginseng powder to boost your energy. I was afraid you'd find it too bitter, so I added two spoonfuls of honey. The taste is different from usual, but it's good for your health."
After hearing what she said, the Queen Mother reluctantly took a few more bites.
After half a bowl, Shixiang couldn't feed her anymore and had to put it down.
He picked up the warm tea next to him and helped his master rinse his mouth.
Seeing the Queen Mother rinse her mouth and drink two cups of chrysanthemum tea in one breath, Shixiang smiled with satisfaction.