Chapter 80: You Cannot Go Back

“Why have you brought us into the city? We don’t even have a place to stay!”

“That’s right! It’s the middle of the night, so cold—what are we supposed to do, old and young all together?”

“If I’d known, I would have listened to the clan head and stayed in the village. Let’s see what they could have done about it!”

In the deep night, the cold wind howled. Yet, under the glow of countless torches, a steady stream of people—whole families, carrying their children and belongings—were pouring into the eastern city amid the biting gusts.

Atop the eastern city wall, torches were wedged between the stones, soldiers stood guard, grasping long spears and swords at their sides.

Hu Jingyuan hurried along the rampart, approaching Fu Zihou and raising his hand in salute.

“Captain, all the people have been brought to the barracks,” Hu Jingyuan reported, casting a worried glance at the distant fires flickering in the night.

At this moment, Hu Jingyuan couldn’t help but wonder why the young lady Li by the captain’s side didn’t try persuading him. Did she not realize the consequences Fu Zihou would face for his actions? By tomorrow, it was certain that many scions of noble families would head for the western city, ready to join with other officials of Taiyuan and remonstrate against the captain.

“Good,” Fu Zihou breathed a sigh of relief as he looked down at the people below.

“Is it worth it?” a voice beside him inquired.

Turning, Fu Zihou saw Cui Wenjin gazing at the mass of people below. He was surprised; even Hu Jingyuan, Yin Tianzong, and others like Cao Yong, Xiong Ruixiang, and Xia Jia had all questioned his actions, doubting his caution. Only Cui Wenjin, from the beginning until now, had never doubted him—merely listened to the townspeople’s complaints as she now asked whether it was worth it.

In truth, it was Cui Wenjin’s trust this night that made Fu Zihou feel much better about his choice.

“I have no regrets. If it’s a mistake, then so be it; at least I won’t regret it,” Fu Zihou gave the same answer as before.

“If you are wrong, when I return to Luoyang, I’ll find a way to pull strings and get you out of prison,” Cui Wenjin replied, turning to look at Fu Zihou. A few dark strands of hair danced at her lovely cheek, making her beauty seem even more striking.

“Thank you,” Fu Zihou couldn’t help but smile. Though ‘pulling strings’ wasn’t a common phrase in this era, the meaning of her words was the same.

Suddenly, Fu Zihou felt rather fortunate. Perhaps Li Cha really did bring him luck—after all, it was the gift of her hairpin that led him to meet Cui Wenjin, his business partner. She had both background and conscience, and, crucially, she never abandoned him at critical moments.

“You should get some rest. You have an early journey tomorrow,” Fu Zihou said to Cui Wenjin.

At first light, she would have to leave Jinyang and return to Luoyang, to Qinghe Commandery. If she did not return soon, her brother Cui Yuzhe, her father Cui Xin, and the entire Cui clan would be anxious.

“I’m not tired,” Cui Wenjin replied, ignoring his advice. Her bright eyes gazed out beyond the walls, listening to the complaints rising from below. She glanced at the boy beside her, a trace of pity in her eyes.

Suddenly, Fu Zihou spotted Yin Tianzong and his group appearing outside the city, moving without even carrying torches.

“Sound the drums! Quickly!”
“Hurry! Get inside! Get inside!”

As Fu Zihou watched, Yin Tianzong and his group arrived at the gate, shouting in panic.

Hearing their cries, Hu Jingyuan, Lai Bo, Ma Huer, Cao Yong, Cui Wenjin, and all the city guards were puzzled—both atop the wall and below, soldiers and civilians alike stared at the scene in confusion, unable to understand what was happening in the darkness.

Only Fu Zihou quickly realized the gravity of the situation, his expression changing at once.

“Sound the drums! Get everyone inside! Raise the drawbridge!” he ordered, face pale with alarm.

At his words, Lai Bo and Ma Huer nodded anxiously, one rushing down the stairs, the other grabbing the drumsticks and beating the great drum with all his might.

Soon, the thunderous drumbeat rang out across the city, echoing through the night inside and out. Soldiers below the walls immediately understood and began shouting at the people to hurry into the city.

The people, who had just been complaining, now sensed something was wrong and surged toward the city in a frenzy, utterly transformed from before.

“Hurry! Get inside!”
“Quickly!”

As the crowd crossed the drawbridge under urgent shouts, the guards on the far side of the moat hastily pulled up the bridge, tied off the ropes, set their torches, and returned to the city.

“Captain! Captain! Something’s wrong!”
Yin Tianzong, covered in mud and out of breath, raced to Fu Zihou, panic written all over his face.

“What happened?” Fu Zihou asked.

“Captain, as I was leading men back, we ran into the enemy. I don’t know how many, but it’s not a small number,” Yin Tianzong said, still shaken. If the night hadn’t been so dark, if he hadn’t spotted the distant torches suddenly snuffed out beyond the gorge, they might not have survived to return. Even now, the memory made him shiver.

Who could have imagined—emerging from the valley, the night around them pitch-black, and people everywhere.

“What?”
Hu Jingyuan, Xiong Ruixiang, Cao Yong, Xia Jia, and the others turned pale, peering into the darkness outside the walls. Seeing Yin Tianzong’s terror, his mud-covered hands and feet, they could not help but admire him. To escape such peril at night and return with his men—such courage was rare indeed.

“But how did the bandits know you would order the townsfolk inside the city at night?” Hu Jingyuan frowned. General Pan was ambushed in the north, and Fu Zihou had given his order only after dark. How could the rebels have hurried to Jinyang so quickly?

“It’s not that the bandits knew I would order the townsfolk in,” Fu Zihou replied quietly, “but that they have their men inside the city.”

Hu Jingyuan’s face changed as he understood.

“So… the bandits have been plotting against Jinyang all along,” he whispered.

Lai Bo and Ma Huer, hearing this as they returned, were startled and stared out at the darkness in shock.

“Warn the guards to watch for traitors within the city. If no traitors appear tonight, it must be linked to the noble families we arrested. Tomorrow, investigate every one of them!” Fu Zihou ordered. He had not been certain before, but tonight’s attack was proof enough.

There was certainly a traitor inside the city—someone of considerable rank among the rebels.

“Yes, sir!”
Hu Jingyuan saluted and, worried about the barracks, hurried down the stairs.

Meanwhile, in the east city, Chu Bo paced anxiously in his small room. When Song Jianfeng entered, he rushed over.

“Well?” Chu Bo asked, clearly anxious. He wondered what ill luck he’d run into, crossing paths with this young Captain Fu. If Duke Wei wanted to take the east city quickly, this was their one chance.

“No good! Fu Zihou has sent people with the census rolls and taken all the noble families’ households to the barracks. I was nearly caught!” Song Jianfeng said, panting.

According to their plan, after Pan Changwen was killed and chaos broke out, Chu Bo and Song Jianfeng were to rally the bribed nobles in the east city, gather their forces under cover of darkness, and coordinate with the rebels outside to seize the city.

But before they could act, all the noble families’ women and children had been rounded up by Fu Zihou.

“What? All sent to the barracks? Not good! Fu Zihou must have guessed there’s a traitor. We need to hide and find a way out of the city!” Chu Bo frowned deeply, shaking his head.

He considered the timing—Pan Changwen was killed at dusk, and Fu Zihou had acted in the middle of the night. The young captain must have suspected something.

Recalling Fu Zihou’s methods and quick thinking, Chu Bo knew their chances were gone. If they didn’t find a way to escape, both he and Song Jianfeng would soon be in danger.

…

In the west city of Jinyang:

“Good thing we’re not in the east city!”

“Indeed! That young, restless captain—what a torment!”

In the darkness of the night, the soldiers on the walls discussed the east city across the river, sympathizing with their comrades who had to relocate the townsfolk in the middle of the night.

“Do you hear drums?”

“Who would beat the drums at this hour? It’s from the east city!”

At first, they thought it was a mistake, but as the sound continued, they peered toward the eastern city.

“Go report to the officials!”

Fearing something serious, they hurried to alert the authorities.

Inside the west city, officials and generals, whether sleeping or still indulging in pleasure, all rose and left their homes upon hearing the news.

On the west city ramparts, Xu Shixu, Wen Dayou, Liu Wenjing, Pei Ji, Zhao Wenke, and other officials gathered, looking out across the Fen River toward the east city.

Zhang Pinggao and Jiang Baoyi met at the base of the wall and ascended together, joining the others in listening to the persistent drumming.

“Any word from the east city?” Zhang Pinggao asked. Wounded and unable to rest, his face was sullen, but the drums left no room for anger.

“It’s been an hour, and none of the messengers we sent to the east city have returned,” Xu Shixu replied, frowning.

“What?” Zhang Pinggao realized something was amiss.

“Could it be the villagers rioting?” Zhao Wenke guessed softly after a long silence, recalling Fu Zihou’s order to relocate all the villagers into the east city.

Having lived in Jinyang for years, Zhao Wenke knew this would provoke resistance, especially from the respected elders who might disobey the young captain’s orders. No one wanted to be uprooted in the dead of night.

If a conflict broke out, perhaps even a riot, it would not be surprising.

“If that were the case, we should have had word by now,” Liu Wenjing said, shaking his head.

Fu Zihou was young and had little foundation, and the villages had hidden populations for years, so their resistance was understandable.

But from afar, the east city was neither ablaze nor echoing with cries of battle. Aside from the torches on the wall, all was eerily quiet. Liu Wenjing felt something was off.

“I’ll send more men…” Wen Dayou began, unable to sit still. He wanted to dispatch his own trusted soldiers to cross the river and investigate, especially since he owed a debt of gratitude to Li Lao and was worried about Fu Zihou. Yet before he could finish, all eyes turned to a sudden sight: firelight rising across the darkened plain beyond the river—first a few, then more, spreading wider and wider.

In horror, they saw that a vast army had somehow concealed itself in the darkness across the river, its numbers overwhelming.

“What—!”
“It’s the rebels!”

At this, not only Wen Dayou but Zhang Pinggao, Liu Wenjing, Jiang Baoyi, and Pei Ji all turned pale with terror.

In the east city, atop the wall, Fu Zihou, Lai Bo, Ma Huer, and the others finally saw it too—the rebel army outside the city!

The sheer number of torches seemed like a tidal wave. Every guard turned ghostly pale with fright.

Even Yin Tianzong, who had been prepared, was shocked at the scale of the enemy.

“Captain! There must be at least ten thousand of them,” Yin Tianzong cried in fear.

Fu Zihou said nothing, simply staring at the rebel army outside.

He understood better than anyone—this was only the beginning. The real rebel army would arrive in force within the next two days.

He turned to look at Cui Wenjin, who was equally stunned beside him.

“You can’t leave now,” Fu Zihou said quietly.

Once the rebels arrived, they would surely try to take the city. If things went badly, Cui Wenjin’s life would end here. If they were lucky and held out, she would still be trapped for months.

In short, Cui Wenjin would not be leaving Jinyang anytime soon.

“Leave…”
Cui Wenjin looked out at the rebel army, then turned to Fu Zihou, shock and confusion written on her delicate face.

Can’t go back?
But her brother, father, and family all had no idea she was here in Jinyang…

Her mind was spinning.

This winter’s weather is truly strange. Please remember to drink more water and take care of yourselves.

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