Chapter 847: A hostage is not a prisoner (1/2)

When Han Yunxi opened the door, she saw none other than Xu Donglin standing guard outside. He and the rest of the shadow guards had long understood the full story after following them back.

“Mistress…” Xu Donglin murmured. Hearing that made Han Yunxi gratified.

“Where’s His Highness?” she asked.

“His Highness is in the main barracks and currently discussing the ceasefire with General Baili,” Xu Donglin reported truthfully. Afraid that his mistress wouldn’t know where the main barracks were, he purposely pointed towards the east. “Mistress, it’s right over there. Do you see that flag? It’s that one.”

Han Yunxi looked over and saw that the main barracks were gigantic but at least one li (~500 meters) away, further than she thought.

“How long have I been asleep?” she asked.

“You arrived the night before yesterday,” Xu Donglin had no idea what happened on the carriage. Uncle Gao had only told him that His Highness had ordered them to stop and rest. He continued seriously, “Mistress, you must have been exhausted. Now that you’ve returned to His Highness’s side, you can sleep easy. No matter what happens, he’ll block it!”

Han Yunxi’s ears began to grow a little red. She really had been exhausted, but hoped that the coming days wouldn’t be so tiring. In a low voice, she asked, “What’s...General Baili’s stance?”

Xu Donglin lowered his voice as well. “Mistress, General Baili was thrilled when His Highness brought you back as a hostage. Last night he followed His Highness’s intentions to write a letter to stop the fighting and got an envoy to deliver it to Ning Cheng. He received it this morning without any objections, so East and West Qin will stop all offensives tomorrow. There’ll still be minor skirmishes so the Northern Li and Wind Clan don’t suspect.”

Han Yunxi nodded. She and Long Feiye had discussed the particulars of the ceasefire, so she knew everything. They would stop all major battles but keep the minor ones without publicizing their reasons. This way, it’d keep people guessing. The Northern Li imperial court and the Wind Clan would have plenty of conjectures, but the more they guessed, the less they’d dare to move. In fact, they might misunderstand the whole ploy as Long Feiye’s forces being too limited to overwhelm Ning Cheng’s.

“Mistress, Ning Cheng pleaded to keep it secret that His Highness has taken you as a hostage. Thus, only General Baili and a few deputy generals know of the fact in the army. You’ll have to suffer some grievances during this time,” Xu Donglin said, before dropping his voice to add, “Mistress, His Highness instructed me to remind you as soon as you woke to not trust anyone easily besides this subordinate and a few reliable agents.”

Han Yunxi nodded. Of course she understood. This was an army barracks and the Bai Clan’s territory. If she exposed herself, Long Feiye would have no end of trouble. She trusted that Long Feiye had the ability to subdue Baili Yuanlong, but the hearts of the soldiers were paramount at a time like this. If her affair with him was exposed, then both the East Qin faction and certain outsiders would love to seize the chance to cause trouble. Long Feiye had to preserve his full strength to deal with the Wind Clan, so he couldn’t waste any energy on internal conflicts. Thinking up to here, Han Yunxi couldn’t help but feel grateful towards Ning Cheng.

No matter his motives, the man had saved her and Long Feiye plenty of trouble this way. In this case, Ning Cheng had been exceptionally gentlemanly.

“Any news of Gu Beiyue?” Han Yunxi asked.

“This subordinate isn’t clear about that. We’ll have to ask His Highness,” Xu Donglin admitted.

Han Yunxi nodded. If Long Feiye was allied with Gu Beiyue, then it’d be a cinch to deal with the Wind Clan. But did Gu Beiyue know of Ning Cheng’s stance? Or the fact that he wanted to destroy the Wind Clan too? If he did, what would he choose? Both Gu Beiyue and Long Feiye had hidden her identity, which united them under a common cause. But now that her status had been publicized, would Gu Beiyue continue to stand on East Qin’s side when the loyal Ning Cheng was right before him?

And what about Gu Qishao? He must be interrogating Bai Yuqiao with Mu Linger right now. If he knew she was in Long Feiye’s hands, what would be his reaction? On the other hand what plans did Ning Cheng hold for Bai Yuqiao? Han Yunxi could stop herself from interfering, but Gu Beiyue and Gu Qishao deserved to know the truth after getting tangled up in this mess.

“Xu Donglin, take a message to His Highness. Just say I still have to finish discussing some things with him and have him find a way to meet with me alone,” Han Yunxi murmured.

She had plenty of things to ask Long Feiye, such as whether Gu Beiyue knew the whereabouts of Lil Thing, or just who could dual cultivate with Long Feiye after he had Baili Mingxiang sent up Celestial Mountain to trick Bai Yanqing. What was dual cultivation, anyways? If it was anything like how he cultivated his inner energy before, would he have to be shut up for a long time again? And it felt like she still had things to say regarding her real identity. In any case, there was a big pile of things.

“Yes, this subordinate will report it as soon as I change shifts,” Xu Donglin was very respectful.

“Change shifts?” Han Yunxi didn’t understand.

“Mistress, General Baili sent mermaid soldiers to stand on guard too. They trade shifts with the shadow guards,” Xu Donglin secretly pointed at a few nearby soldiers and dropped his voice. “Mistress, those three circles of people are all for guarding you. Before, General Baili even suggested to His Highness to take you to the south central region’s prison cells, but His Highness rejected the idea.”

Han Yunxi smiled bitterly. “Xu Donglin, Chu Xifeng hated me so much. Don’t you and Uncle Gao...hate me as well?”