Chapter 397 - Urgent Message (2/2)
As Little Shitou struggled to avoid being thrown off by Big Gray, he giggled and said, “Since Little Black and Little White are here, our family is definitely also here. Second Sister and I are the only ones who are familiar with this part of the forest, so there won’t be any problems at all with Second Sister leading the way!”
Little White looked at Little Shitou, and then nodded his head at Yu Hang. He turned his body and looked back at Yu Hang, motioning him to follow him. As for Little Shitou, he was finally thrown off by Big Gray. He patted the dust on his long gown, made a funny face at Big Gray, and also followed his older brother into the forest.
Little White guided the brothers through the maze-like cave and avoided the big cave that the villagers were staying in. They soon reached the entrance of the cave that the Yu Family stayed in. There were two imperial bodyguards guarding the entrance to prevent the villagers from disturbing them again.
It turned out that in the evening, Madam Zhang had come to cause trouble with Yu Dashan. They had thrown away the food that they brought along when they were being chased by the Wokou pirates. Seeing that the two little wolves had caught game, the mother and son wanted to pretend to be pitiful and get some food. Madam Zhang thought that since she had once been married to Old Yu, the old man wouldn’t just watch as they starve to death. This ‘extraordinary person’ finally remembered that she and Old Yu were married. When Old Yu was seriously ill and on the verge of death, she didn’t even think about their familial affections at all!
The Yu Family also didn’t bring a lot of food. No one knew when those pirates were going to leave, so it was impossible for them to share their food with the pair of ungrateful mother and son. When Madam Li fled in the forest, she got separated from the group and her safety was still uncertain. However, Yu Dashan didn’t seem very sad about it. As expected, it was true that ‘a married couple were birds in the same forest who would fly separately in the face of danger’!
Madam Zhang and her son were thick-skinned and wanted to continue to cause trouble. Princess Consort Jing's head started to hurt due to the ruckus they were causing, so she just gave them two pancakes and had the bodyguards throw them out. She also sent two imperial bodyguards to guard the entrance. Except for the members of the Yu Family and Liu Family, no one was allowed to casually enter! With Princess Consort Jing here, the pair of ‘extraordinary’ mother and son didn’t dare to continue to cause trouble and timidly went back to the bigger cave.
The two imperial bodyguards recognized the Yu brothers. Although they thought it was strange for the brothers to come back at this time, they just let them go in. It was already late at night, so everyone was already in deep slumber. As soon as the brothers entered the cave, Commander Zheng, who slept on the floor outside, opened his eyes vigilantly. With the dim light of the torch, he took a clearer look at their faces. Then he pointed to the small cave where the Yu Family stayed to the brothers and made a gesture, telling them to be quiet.
When the brothers saw that the bodyguards and servants lying on the ground, they carefully walked around them and arrived at the small cave that their family lived in. Under the dim light of the torch, the brothers saw their sleeping family. With tears brimming in their eyes, their anxious hearts finally relaxed.
After a day of thrilling escape, the Yu Family members didn’t sleep very well. Yu Hai had opened his eyes when the Yu brothers entered the cave. Seeing the tired and untidy appearance of the brothers, he immediately sat up. He didn’t speak for a long time, thinking that he was dreaming.
“Father! Don’t worry, we’re fine…” With tears brimming in his eyes, Little Shitou walked to the stone bed and pulled on his father’s hands.
Yu Hai finally believed that this wasn’t a dream. He examined both children and asked in a slightly angry tone, “You kids, why aren’t you obediently staying in town and coming here at this time? If you guys encounter a wild beast in the middle of the night, what will you do ah!”
Yu Hai’s voice woke everyone up. When they saw Yu Hang and Little Shitou, they were both surprised and happy. Madam Liu hugged the brothers tightly, and then scolded them, feeling fearful. Yu Xiaocao silently watched the scene and felt that they could overcome anything with the whole family together!
“Eldest Brother, Shitou, have you guys eaten dinner yet? There’s still some cured meat rice, but it’s a little cold!” Yu Xiaocao saw that their lips were peeling from dryness and guessed that they hadn’t eaten and drank anything since the afternoon.
Little Shitou was slightly embarrassed as he struggled out of his mother’s embrace. He smiled at Xiaocao and said, “It’s still Second Sister who dotes on me the most! Eldest Brother and I were worried about you guys, so we left in a hurry. We didn’t even drink a sip of water the whole way. I’m dying of hunger ah!!” Before he had finished speaking, his little tummy growled several times, amusing everyone.
While the Yu brothers wolfed down the cold rice, the capital had already received the urgent message sent from Tanggu Town. Could the emperor just sit back when he saw that the Wokou pirates had invaded? That night, he immediately summoned the ministers to his imperial study to discuss the situation.
The Tanggu area was under the ruling of Royal Prince Yang, so he naturally wasn’t left out. Zhu Junyang immediately became anxious when he heard that a lot of Wokou pirates had gone to Tanggu Town. They also appeared to be well-trained and very fierce, and didn’t seem like ordinary pirates. His lady mother and future wife were both in Dongshan Village ah!
“Your Imperial Majesty, are there Wokou pirates at Dongshan Village?” Zhu Junyang interrupted the officials’ discussion and anxiously asked.
When the emperor nodded solemnly, Zhu Junyang immediately turned around and left the imperial study! The message was sent from Tanggu Town and reported to the emperor. Then the emperor summoned them over. Didn’t they waste a lot of time already? He didn’t know how his lady mother and Xiaocao were doing. Could those imperial bodyguards protect them? Zhu Junyang could only blame himself for not leaving more bodyguards at the mountain manor. How long could those twenty or so imperial bodyguards hold up?