Qiu Yizi asked Dai Luanxiang a series of questions, leaving him speechless. He lowered his head and thought for a long time, but could not think of an answer.
Qiu Yizi also felt that his tone was too blunt, and said with some apology: "I am rude, but I am thinking about Marshal Dai. If it is up to me, the only person who can guarantee Marshal Dai's safety is my adoptive father, Prince Youyan. I hope the Marshal can think about it carefully and don't make a mistake!"
Although Dai Luanxiang didn't say anything, he felt a little relieved in his heart. He sighed and said, "Dai is very upset now. This is a big deal and we can't make a hasty decision..."
Qiu Yizhi was such a smart man that he understood what Dai Luanxiang meant as soon as he spoke. He thought: Dai Luanxiang is a famous general, he must be arrogant and proud, so he should not be pushed too hard. So he nodded and said: "This is the truth! The Marshal has just escaped from the hands of the Persuasion Department and his body is still weak. The first priority now is to recuperate and recover his strength, and then make long-term plans!"
Seeing Dai Luanxiang nodded without saying anything, he led his men to set out again, first walking some distance to the south, then finding a small path to bypass the dilapidated Taoist temple and head towards the ruined temple where they were hiding.
The eighty-two men under Qiu Yizhi fought against more than two hundred men from the Persuasion Department in the process of rescuing Dai Luanxiang. However, they were all elite soldiers who had survived hundreds of battles, and with Qiu Yizhi's ingenious strategy, they did not lose a single soldier in the battle, but instead captured fifty or sixty war horses. Together with the ones they had collected before, they had one horse for each man, and their marching speed was several times faster than before.
This group of people traveled day and night along the path. When the east gradually brightened, they had already bypassed the Taoist temple where Cheng Yan and Jin Deqiang were and came to the dilapidated temple where they had been hiding before.
Qiu Yizi originally used this dilapidated temple to accommodate the remnant soldiers who were left in the capital when Zheng Rong escaped from Tongguan. Those who were able to fight after recovering from their injuries were taken to rescue Dai Luanxiang, leaving only a few whose injuries had not yet healed in the temple.
Although these soldiers received Qiu Yi's order and only needed to recuperate here, they had been in the army for a long time after all and had never changed their barracks habits. They spontaneously arranged personnel to take turns on guard.
The person who was on sentry duty that day was the sturdy Shi Wei, who was ordered to go south to suppress the rebellion of the Tianzun Sect at the beginning of the Autumn Year. He was originally a centurion in charge of the so-called "warm tent" prostitute affairs in the army. Because of his quick mind, he was also selected by Zheng Rong to go to the capital. However, when Shi Wei broke out of the capital, although he was not injured by the swords of the government troops, he accidentally stepped on a nail. Although the injury was not serious, it was difficult for him to move, so he was left in Tongguan.
It was the time when people were fleeing the capital in a hurry, so there was no military doctor to take care of him. Shi Wei's minor injury actually festered. Although he was treated by a local doctor, he still had not recovered and could not move freely, so he had to do some lookout work.
Therefore, when he saw Qiu Yizhi and others riding horses approaching from afar, he hurriedly stood up and limped to Qiu Yizhi, stretched out his hand to hold the reins, and said: "Your Highness Yi was heroic when he set out, and now he is back in high spirits. I believe that Your Highness Yi must have won the first battle! Have you rescued Marshal Dai so that I can be happy too."
Qiu Yizhi smiled as he sat on his horse: "In recent months, I have met several male prostitutes in brothels in the capital, but none of them can speak as eloquently as you. No wonder my eldest brother wants you to be in charge of the warm tent."
Shi Wei scratched his head and said with a smile, "Your Highness Yi is teasing me..." As he spoke, he looked up and carefully observed the team. Seeing one of them he had never seen before, he asked again, "Your Highness Yi, I am not very good at seeing that person. He looks very imposing and impressive. I think he must be Dai Luanxiang, Marshal Dai!"
Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "What do you mean by poor eyesight? I think you are a very smart old man! This is the famous Marshal Dai. You don't have to wait here. Go and inform Dai's mother and the young master and young lady that Marshal Dai is here!"
Dai Luanxiang, who was behind Qiu Yi, heard everything clearly and asked in surprise, "What? Are my mother, Dai Song, and Yin Ping also here?"
Qiu Yizi turned his head and looked at Dai Luanxiang. Seeing that he looked a little surprised and delighted, he smiled and said, "Even if I tell you, the Marshal may not believe it. When the Marshal sees it with his own eyes, the truth will naturally come out."
Dai Luanxiang could no longer suppress his excitement and was about to gallop forward, but Qiu Yizhi stopped him and said, "Marshal, don't be anxious. Your family members are in the ruined temple ahead. Wait for my men to go and inform them. We can meet again soon." He then ordered Shi Wei to say, "What are you still standing here for? Why don't you go quickly?"
Shi Wei quickly agreed, turned around, twisted his hips, and limped forward.
Seeing that he looked funny, Qiu Yizi said, "Okay, there's no need for you to go and report. By the time you get to the dilapidated temple, the flowers will be cold. Wouldn't Marshal Dai be anxious to death?" He then ordered one of his men to go and report on horseback, while he led the rest of the people slowly forward.
Dai Luanxiang was living under someone else's roof at the moment, and although he was extremely anxious, he could only endure it and followed Qiu Yi slowly towards the ruined temple. He saw that the fast horse was moving quickly and had entered the ruined temple in a short while, and disappeared into the wall in a flash.
Not long after, three figures walked out of the ruined temple. The one walking in front was a lively young man, and behind him was a young girl supporting an old lady.
The young man was very fast, and in the blink of an eye he had already rushed to the front of the large group of people and horses, looking up at the group carefully. He saw Dai Luanxiang among them, and had already forgotten the etiquette. Without even having time to greet Qiu Yizi, he quickly walked up to Dai Luanxiang, bowed down and said: "I am an unfilial child. I cannot fulfill my filial piety to my father. I am really unworthy of being a son..." As he spoke, he choked up and couldn't speak.
Dai Luanxiang felt a lump in his throat when he saw him like this, and started to cry, but he scolded him, "Men don't cry easily, how can you be so disgraceful in front of you all?"
Before he finished speaking, he heard an old voice coming from the front: "Is my son Luanxiang here?"
When Dai Luanxiang heard it, he recognized his mother's familiar voice. Being a very filial man, he hurriedly dismounted, walked forward, and supported his mother. His knees went weak and he knelt down in front of his mother. Tears could no longer be stopped from flowing down his face, and he mumbled something inaudible.
When Dai's mother saw her son, she was also extremely excited. She had already thrown away the dragon-head crutch and hugged Dai Luanxiang, tears streaming down her face, and she kept comforting him.
Dai Song and Yin Ping also knelt beside their father and grandmother, wiping their tears.
Qiu Yizi lost both his parents when he was young, and seeing the scene of Dai Luanxiang's family reunion, he couldn't help feeling sad. He sighed deeply, and ordered his subordinates, "Marshal Dai has reunited with his family after a long separation, so he naturally has something to say. We should not disturb him here. I will go to the temple to rest." As he said that, he did not ride the horse, but led the horse himself, gently walked around Dai Luanxiang's family, and went to the dilapidated temple.
Seeing this, everyone followed Qiu Yi's example and dismounted from their horses and led the way.
The soldiers had just fought with the soldiers of the Ministry of Persuasion of Charity for a while, and had been riding non-stop all night, so they were already exhausted. After hurriedly taking care of themselves, they each chose a suitable location in the main hall of the ruined temple and went to bed in their clothes.
When Qiu Yizi chose this dilapidated temple to hide, he only thought that the place was remote and there were no villages or towns around it, so it was quite secretive. However, he did not consider that this place could barely shelter from the wind and rain and was far from comfortable.
Fortunately, he was well prepared this time when he entered the pass. He brought a large amount of gold and silver with him. He ordered people to buy cotton clothes and bedding in batches and lay them on the damaged red brick floor of the hall. Although it was only a stopgap measure, it could barely withstand the increasingly cold climate.
Therefore, as soon as the exhausted Qiu Yizi sat down on the soft cushion covered with a quilt, he felt sleepy, his eyes went dark, and he fell asleep.
Qiu Yizhi heard the soldier calling out in a daze, "Your Highness Yi, it's time to eat!" He listened and opened his eyes with all his strength, only to see that the person who spoke was Shi Wei, who repeated, "Your Highness Yi, dinner is ready, and we are just waiting for you to eat."
Qiu Yizi finally woke up from her sleep, got up and, under the guidance of Shi Wei, walked to the large stone altar in the main hall of the dilapidated temple. She saw eight or nine kinds of meat and vegetable side dishes neatly arranged. Although they were not very exquisite, they were all seasonal fresh vegetables, which was even more rare when they were behind enemy lines.
So Qiu Yizhi smiled and asked Shi Wei: "Did you buy all these?"
Shi Wei had a flattering expression on his face, rubbing his hands and answering: "It is all from the filial piety of me and the others, but it is really a bit crude, I am afraid it will not be pleasing to His Highness Yi!"
Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "You are not good at fortune-telling and martial arts, but you are good at serving the superiors. No wonder my adoptive father wanted to bring you here no matter what! The food on this table is well cooked. I can't even eat as much as I normally do, let alone in this dangerous place! Although I am called 'Your Majesty', I am actually a poor guy, otherwise I would have rewarded you well!"
Shi Wei still had a big smile on his face and said, "As long as Your Highness Yi is happy with his meal, I won't waste my hard work. How dare I ask for a reward?"
Qiu Yi was a simple person to begin with, and he had always been associated with extraordinary people like Zheng Rong, Zhongli Kuang, and Zheng Miao. He did not take Shi Wei's vulgar flattery seriously. Recently, he had also made the acquaintance of outstanding figures like Heluo King Zheng Hua and former general Dai Luanxiang, and his horizons had risen to a new level. Such vulgar flattery was even more unacceptable to him.
Qiu Yizi interrupted Shi Wei and said, "I know what you mean. But I can't bear to have all the delicious food on the table by myself. So, please invite my brother Yuchi the Great Knight and Marshal Dai's family to come and have dinner with me."
Shi Wei quickly agreed and retreated.
Not long after, Yuchi Lianghong came in. Seeing the table full of delicious food, he immediately smiled and said, "You are in such a good mood, my dear brother. We are in a dangerous place, but you can still prepare such a table of dishes. I admire your ability very much." He paused, then smiled again, "I treated you three meals before, and today I have repaid you one. There are still two meals left. Don't forget them, my dear brother." After that, he looked up to the sky and laughed.
Qiu Yizi was delighted to see Yuchi Lianghong being so generous and unrestrained, so he also laughed and said, "Okay, okay. Unfortunately, I am a poor man. When I have enough money, I will treat you to a good meal!" He added, "I have also treated Marshal Dai and his family. Please wait a moment, brother."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dai's mother slowly walked into the hall under the guidance of Shi Wei, with her son Dai Luanxiang and grandson Dai Song standing on both sides, and granddaughter Dai Yinping following behind her.
When Qiu Yizi saw this, he hurried forward, took Dai's mother's hand and asked her to sit down beside the altar full of dishes. He also invited Dai Luanxiang and his two children to come and have a meal together.
But as soon as everyone sat down, they realized that there were only four stools next to the stone altar, leaving Qiu Yizhi and Yuchi Lianghong standing there with nowhere to sit, and the atmosphere was a little awkward. (To be continued)