After Prince Yi suffered defeat, everyone thought he and his son-in-law would lead the five thousand troops to seek refuge in Beiyang City or Ye City under Zhan Country’s army. However, scouts lurking outside Beiyang City and Ye City reported no trace of the former dynasty’s forces had been found.
Meanwhile, Gu Changqing was also desperately searching for Gu Jiao’s whereabouts.
Nobody expected that Prince Yi and his party would brave the blizzard and cross the ice plains to reach a "Utopia."
This Utopia is named so because of its mountain ranges that stretch on amidst the ice and snow, yet atop one of the peaks lies a natural hot spring.
This precious location was accidentally discovered by the Silver Fox during a winter hunt. It is situated within the territory of Zhan Country but is considered no man’s land, overlooked by border officials as just another mountain range due to its months-long ice encapsulation each year.
The Silver Fox had secretly built a fort here, and even Prince Yi was visiting for the first time.
The carriage had to cross a wooden bridge to enter the gate of the fort.
As the carriage traveled over the wooden bridge, Prince Yi, with a gut full of anxiety, asked the Silver Fox, "Is this place really safe?"
The Silver Fox flicked off the snowflakes that had accidentally flown in through the window onto his silver fox cape and confidently smiled, "Uncle, rest assured, these mountains are steep and the terrain is well-concealed. The heavy snowfall from earlier has covered our tracks. The Gu Family’s army will never be able to find us here."
Beneath the wooden bridge was an abyss. Prince Yi, as if possessed, peeked out through the curtains and nearly had his soul frightened away!
If this wooden bridge were to break, they would all be shattered to pieces!
Only when everyone had crossed the wooden bridge did Prince Yi’s suspended heart finally settle down.
But the next second, he heard his nephew say, "Fei Shi, cut down the wooden bridge!"
Prince Yi was startled, "Zhengzheng, why are you cutting down the wooden bridge! Do you want to be trapped here forever?"
The Silver Fox smiled reassuringly and said to Prince Yi, "Uncle, the leader of the Gu Family’s army, Gu Changqing, is exceedingly cunning. I’m concerned he might still find some clues and follow us here."
Prince Yi furrowed his brows, "But didn’t you say we wouldn’t leave any clues?"
"This is a precautionary measure," the Silver Fox replied with a smile, "As for the way down the mountain, Uncle needn’t worry. There is a secret passage in the fort that leads out from the mountaintop. Even I have never used it; that will be our true escape route."
Prince Yi was once again relieved by his words, but at the moment the wooden bridge was cut down, he still couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable worry.
He couldn’t quite articulate whether this worry stemmed from the wooden bridge itself or something else.
His gaze involuntarily fell upon the soldier from Zhan Country.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Prime Minister's Darling