After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

The next day, at dawn.

As the sky just began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, the distant mountains were shrouded in mist.

Countless layers of green mountains are now bathed in a hazy, cool atmosphere, as if a celestial being had painted down white clouds with a single stroke, using the clouds as ink to depict the peaks and colors of the mountains.

Yaoshan Mountain is also included in this painting, with thick fog covering the mountain, creating a vast expanse of white.

A strong westerly wind blew, and the rising and falling mist slowly drifted out of the forest, gradually enveloping the mountain road paved with gravel.

The mountain range runs north-south. The mountain road also starts from the foot of the mountain and crosses the entire green mountain from south to north.

The entrance path to Lijia Village is located on the west side of the foot of the mountain on the south side.

At the entrance stands a low stone tablet with the three characters "Lijia Village" written in red. Over the years, wind and rain have worn it down, and now only the general outline can be made out, with the characters themselves blurred and indistinct.

The path leading into the village winds and twists, hidden in the deep white fog. At this moment when the east is turning white, the thin fog suddenly surges, accompanied by the snorting of horses and the clattering of their hooves.

Startled birds took flight, fluttering and rustling leaves as they fell.

With a neigh, five riders emerged from the mist one after another and galloped out onto the path. As if they were well-trained, the five riders reined in their horses at the stone tablet and brought them to a stop by the roadside.

Qin Yuanyao, dressed in a black outfit, rode a large white horse from the Western Regions. A waist knife hung on one side of the horse, and a black cloth bag hung on the other. She stood at the front of the group with a cold and serious expression.

The others were also serious and unsmiling, their hands gripping the reins, with swords hanging on one side of their horses and black cloth bags on the other, standing quietly beside the female commander.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, thunderous rumbles echoed across the mountaintop, the pebbles on the ground began to tremble slightly, and the horses beneath them became restless and began to neigh.

The rumbling thunder continued uninterrupted, approaching from afar with increasing force.

Qin Yuanyao frowned at first, then relaxed after a moment, and then exhaled a soft breath of white air before bending down to soothe the restless white horse.

My gaze was directed toward the top of the mountain road.

At this moment, about a hundred tall horses, their hooves thundering, slowly descended the gentle slope from the mountaintop, heading straight for them.

These were the soldiers from the Beijing garrison who had crossed Yaozi Mountain and rushed over from Hangezhuang.

The leading general wore a red-tasseled helmet, black armor, a breastplate, and fish-scale armor on his thighs.

The general had a beard that reached past his chest, rode a chestnut horse, and held a long spear with a cold, menacing tip.

Behind them were over a hundred soldiers, also clad in black armor, wielding long spears, and riding large horses. Although the patterns on their chests were not as intricate as the tiger stripes on the general's chest, each of them exuded a fierce and imposing aura. The hundred riders marched down the mountain in formation, creating an effect like a mountain collapsing, giving off a magnificent and awe-inspiring feeling.

Such a rate of armor wearing is extremely rare in the Liang army.

However... there is one drawback: perhaps because the armor is so rare, it doesn't fit the soldiers very well, so some of the soldiers sitting on their horses are riding in a rather strange posture.

When the hundred riders were about to reach the foot of the mountain.

With a wave of his hand, the cavalry slowly came to a stop. The general dismounted, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Qin Yuanyao, and handed over his official document and golden talisman.

Beside the general was an old man in white robes, who nodded silently to Qin Yuanyao... This was the captain stationed at Hangezhuang.

"Chen Mu, the Vice Commander of the Nanjing Garrison of the Great Liang, greets Commander Qin." The general was over eight feet tall, with a steady demeanor and a calm tone.

Nanjing Guard Commander-in-Chief...a fourth-rank military officer.

Qin Yuanyao accepted the document with both hands, verified her identity, and clasped her hands in a fist and said, "Thank you for your trouble, General Chen."

"Commander Qin is too kind," the general said in a low voice.

Qin Yuanyao glanced back and frowned slightly. "May I ask, General Chen, your camp should have a full complement of five hundred men, but from what I see, it seems... your camp doesn't have five hundred?"

There are only about a hundred people.

Chen Mu remained expressionless and politely explained, "Please inform Commander Qin that our camp has five sentries: left, right, front, back, and center. The other four sentries have gone to the front to wait, positioned in four directions to guard against any thieves. I will personally lead the center sentry to escort the young lady back to the capital."

"I see," Qin Yuanyao said with a sudden realization. "General Chen's considerations are thorough; I admire him!" She solemnly clasped her hands in a fist salute.

Immediately afterwards, the three carriages left Lijia Village, leaving a long rut on the ground, and slowly drove out from the fork in the road to the foot of Yaoshan Mountain. On both sides, there were more than thirty Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) in plain clothes riding horses to act as guards.

Wearing his armor, he couldn't perform a proper salute, so the general surnamed Chen clasped his hands in a gesture of respect from a distance and said, "Greetings, Miss!"

The person on the carriage didn't dismount or react much. He frowned silently but didn't say anything, then mounted his horse.

Qin Yuanyao, accompanied by four Imperial Guards, also mounted their horses and, with two 'thuds,' spurred them forward to the front of the procession.

More than thirty Imperial Guards formed a military formation, firmly surrounding the three carriages.

As the west wind blew, the curtain of the second carriage was lifted, and vaguely, a beautiful woman in purple robes with a silk scarf covering her face sat gracefully inside, her eyes and brows exuding a charming and aloof air, her demeanor graceful and elegant.

...

...

The army marched forward, heading straight for Nanjing along the main road.

Qin Yuanyao said that the young lady's injuries had not yet healed and that it was not advisable to travel by bumpy road. Chen Mu nodded and slowed down the speed of the group. The three carriages turned slowly and did not shake too much.

Thirty riders were in front, fifty riders were behind, and ten riders were on each side, surrounding the Jinyiwei formation. Qin Yuanyao remained expressionless, riding her horse near the second carriage.

About an hour later, the group had only traveled about twenty miles.

Just before the group reached a place called Shili Gorge, Qin Yuanyao frowned, patted her horse's back, and rode to the front of the group. She asked Chen Mu, who was focused on moving forward, "May I ask General Chen, are your four sentries positioned too far away? Why haven't I seen any of your other four sentries yet?"

Chen Mu stared straight ahead, and without turning his head, calmly said, "Commander Qin, rest assured, I have my reasons for doing this. With me here, no one in the world can harm Miss in the slightest."

Qin Yuanyao bit her cheek, as if she was about to ask a few more questions, but Chen Mu waved his hand, "Commander Qin, just trust me."

Qin Yuanyao choked for a moment, her eyelids immediately lowered, and seeing the other party's attitude, she could only stop talking and ride her horse back to the rear.

"Old Qi, what do you think?" Qin Yuanyao pulled on the reins, riding alongside the old captain from Hangezhuang.

She knew the man's name was Qi Qiao.

Qi Qiao is old, with white hair and beard, and his face is more wrinkled than a hundred-year-old elm tree. In recent years, he has been traveling around the counties surrounding Nanjing.

He stroked his white beard and said with a smile, "Commander Qin is overthinking it. General Chen is a veteran general. The four sentries are positioned in four directions. If a bandit like Xiao Chun launches a surprise attack, this sentry will hold the bandit back, and the other three sentries and the central sentry can complete the encirclement."

Qin Yuanyao's eyes were filled with confusion: "Then why have I never seen scouts coming and going to report?"

Qi Qiao was taken aback, and the hand that was stroking his beard paused.

The old man let out a soft "hmm," his eyes showing hesitation. After a moment, he slowly said, "Perhaps General Chen and his men are using smoke signals... so there's no need for scouts."

"Don't worry, Commander Qin. After passing the Ten-Mile Gorge, walk another ten miles and you'll reach the Xiaobai River. At that time, you won't be far from the capital."

Qin Yuanyao glanced at the old man, then slowly nodded.

But not long after, when the group reached the center of Shili Gorge, Qin Yuanyao called a halt to the group.

The reason why Shilixia is called this is because the two sides are continuous steep cliffs, the lowest point of which is three zhang high, and the road in the middle is relatively narrow, resembling a canyon.

The procession was thus divided into three parts: at the front were more than forty cavalrymen from the Beijing Garrison, at the back were more than fifty, and in the middle were three carriages escorted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"General Chen," Qin Yuanyao said coldly as she faced Chen Mu, who was slowly riding towards her. "Yuanyao believes that the general's decision to divide the troops is inappropriate. Please gather all five sentries before we continue our advance. Only in this way can Miss's safety be guaranteed."

Chen Mu's expression was cold: "Commander Qin, are you questioning my abilities?"

Qin Yuanyao slowly shook her head, saying that Yuanyao dared not, and then repeated the same words in a different way, only with a more tactful tone and word choice.

Chen Mu's expression gradually grew impatient. He said, "Military matters are my specialty. Commander Qin doesn't understand them, so please don't comment..." Chen Mu retorted firmly.

The two remained locked in a stalemate for a while.

Finally, the female commander's face turned completely cold.

"General Chen... Yuan Yao's words come from the bottom of her heart. If the general still does not agree, then please forgive Yuan Yao... for having to question the general's loyalty!" The words were harsh, and the female commander's pretty face was as cold as ice.

"Heh." As if he had heard a joke, Chen Mu chuckled subconsciously.

Later, seemingly seeing the female commander's unwavering resolve, his smile turned into a disdainful sneer.

Chen Mu lowered his eyes and paused for a moment.

Realizing that the female commander seemed determined not to go any further, he turned his head expressionlessly and whispered to a young cavalryman not far away, "So, this is it?"

"Ugh—" The young cavalryman seemed to have a headache, so he spurred his horse forward.

"It's a little short, but since it's like this... let's leave it here." He said with a hint of helplessness.

Qin Yuanyao's pupils contracted sharply.

Upon hearing the young man's words, Chen Mu turned his head, a fierce glint in his eyes: "This humble general, Chen Mu—please, young lady, alight from the carriage for a chat!"

"Heh, General Chen...you're really fierce." The young man chuckled, wiped his face with his sleeve, and his face shape changed slightly, revealing a faint scar on his right cheek.

He spurred his horse to ride alongside Chen Mu, and said with a gentle smile to the three carriages, "My name is Xiao Chun. Please, distinguished guests in the carriages... disembark for a chat."