Chapter 228: The Head
On both sides of the valley, many people lay in ambush.
Ambushing is an arduous task.
One must hide.
To hide in advance, one must remain concealed for a long time.
One must wait.
Waiting is grueling.
Because they were in ambush, they naturally could not cook or start a fire; they could only gnaw on dry steamed buns, unable to eat a single hot meal.
They had begun the ambush three days in advance.
Their bodies were frozen stiff.
They should have arrived two days ago, and there was no telling what they were dilly-dallying for.
To think they still hadn’t arrived.
They had heard there was a pregnant woman, but they had factored in the pregnant woman’s travel time when planning the ambush.
Unfortunately, they hadn’t accounted for a brat who loved watching the sunrise, the sunset, and the icicles on the grasslands, and who was particular about finding a clean place to use the bathroom, while her father and brother indulged her without limits, so their journey was several days slower than expected.
In any case, it was the third day.
These men were the elite under the Seventh Prince.
Many among them were suicide squads.
It seemed a bit strange to lay the ambush at the first stop.
It felt like going all-in right from the start.
However, the Young Master had spoken very gravely, insisting that the family of Jiang Changtian must be killed.
After Jiang Wan demonstrated her talent before Chu Xi, she had stated with certainty that he possessed the Dragon Aura, but the presence of one person was interfering with it.
When Jiang Wan named that person, Chu Xi was not at all surprised.
In this world, for someone to grow up looking like that—their very appearance was not that of an ordinary person—and to be so capable at governing, seeing the lives of the people in the entire Jingzhou flourishing, standing in such stark contrast to the rest of the country, this person would surely be a formidable enemy.
In fact, even if Jiang Wan hadn’t said anything, he had his own calculations.
But Jiang Wan’s words had made him even more determined.
In Jingzhou, trying to ambush Jiang the Second’s family was like going to someone’s house to rob them; it was far too difficult.
It was equivalent to delivering oneself to death.
They had to trick Jiang the Second into coming out.
Thus, the imperial court issued a summons, ordering Commander Jiang to return to the capital to report on his duties.
Generally, when one is to be promoted, this is a necessary process.
Then he decided to see Jiang the Second off—to the Western Paradise.
Chu Xi was a decisive person.
The Seventh Prince was also a decisive person who was willing to listen.
As someone who was the final winner in his previous life, he naturally would not be indecisive.
Thus, this ambush, an all-in move from the start, came to be.
Chu Xi felt that one must eradicate evil completely and cut weeds at the roots; among the group of people who had rebelled together back then, one branch was indeed the Seventh Prince’s people.
This was also why, when Jiang Wan said he possessed the Dragon Aura, Chu Xi believed her instead.
Because they had been preparing earlier than anyone else.
Why, when all are princes, must the Seventh Prince be cold-shouldered and exiled?
Why should he not be allowed to sit on the Dragon Throne?
The rebellion was a test.
Besides the rebellion, the Seventh Prince also had contact with foreigners, collaborating both internally and externally.
A two-pronged strategy.
Back then, they had already noticed Jiang the Second.
And because of the death of Chu Yi, the Seventh Prince had originally wanted Jiang the Second dead as well, but he had endured it for the sake of the bigger picture.
Now, it was the perfect time to exact revenge all at once.
But they had been in ambush for three days.
It was arduous even for the suicide squads.
The winter was very cold.
Sleeping in the open, exposed to the wind and dew.
And they couldn’t make any noise.
They had previously seen a woman riding a horse from afar, wandering around, riding a circle before heading back, and weaving back and forth in the valley, which had made their hearts tighten with tension.
They shouldn’t have been discovered.
After all, they were professionals.
Their professionalism was shown by the fact that they had even caught birds and released them.
Generally, besides an ambush being lax and being discovered due to making noise, another way it could be discovered was if it were too quiet.
Because being too quiet was in itself wrong; it violated the laws of nature, indicating that someone had broken the pattern of the place.
So they had prepared birds to release.
It was very rigorous.
But who was Qin Luoxia? When she reigned supreme in the mountains, even pythons would shed their skins and crawl away on their own.
When she was riding through and sensed something was wrong, she looked up and saw a bird flying across the sky, emitting a crisp cry.
This bird, instead, was a signal of exposure, allowing Qin Luoxia to confirm that there was an ambush.
She had eaten so many birds; the way this one flew was unnatural, so there was definitely a problem.
Then Qin Luoxia left.
They thought this woman seemed a bit like a scout, but that shouldn’t be the case—to send a woman.
But deep down, they subconsciously relaxed their vigilance against the woman, and since they had already released the birds, they couldn’t kill her, or they would startle the snake.
To wipe out the other party completely, this valley was the best burial ground.
Anyway, they would continue the ambush.
Ambushes generally rely on fewer defeating more, catching the enemy off guard.
But the Seventh Prince was prepared; he had manpower, equipment, and money.
For so many years, the Seventh Princes Consort had lived a frugal, clean life with him; where had the money gone? Naturally, it had gone to raising these men.
These men were the elite among the elite.
While lying in ambush, the Seventh Prince’s son, Chu Xi, had some slightly different opinions.
The Seventh Prince had never met Jiang the Second and didn’t think he was that terrifying; he felt the people sent were sufficient and, with the ambush set in advance, they would certainly be able to handle it—this wasn’t the first time they had done such a thing.
Ruthless and merciless, leaving no room for error.
But Chu Xi had met Jiang the Second, and because of Jiang Wan, he was full of caution toward Jiang the Second and insisted on adding more manpower.
Not only did they need the ambush, but they also needed absolute numerical superiority.
They could not leave any survivors.
Because Jiang the Second was now an imperial official, and the people they had sent for the ambush could, to varying degrees, be traced back to the imperial court; they had to be thorough in their actions.
Anyway, Jiang Wan had also said that the Meng Family would surely have no descendants; Meng Shaoxia and his pregnant wife were both inside, so it would be perfect to kill them all together.
They had the advantage in numbers.
With strong troops and regular soldiers, they also had the advantage in equipment.
They had chosen the ambush location; time and place were both on their side.
They had to win.
After killing these people, they would return to good wine, good food, and good women to serve them.
A vulture flew across the sky, circling with its wings spread.
The suicide squad members in ambush looked up and cursed inwardly; these avian beasts were the most sensitive, surely knowing that people were going to die and they would be able to eat their fill, they had actually come to wait in advance.
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