Consort of a Thousand Faces Chapter 646.1 - A challenge

Chapter 646.1: A challenge

“Qin Ling is no match for the Western Region King, so please shut up. I’m tired, and would like some rest.” Su Xi-er then laid her head against the carriage walls and shut her eyes.
Yun Ruofeng looked down at her stomach. It’ll probably become more noticeable around the three month mark.
He had imagined her being pregnant in the past, but never in his wildest imagination did he think that this would be how it happened. She was now carrying someone else’s child, and there was nothing he could do about that.
He scoffed at this and turned away to look at the moonlit scenery outside. Qin Ling, I hope you’ll be able to at least stall the Western Region King for a bit. If not, Mei Jinxiu’s death will have been in vain.
The carriage stopped at a few posthouses over the next couple of days, and before long, they were only a mile away from the border. Arriving at their destination would take them an hour at most.
Yun Ruofeng watched as Su Xi-er touched her stomach periodically. He felt a lot better now that they were closer to the border, since it would be a lot more difficult for Pei Qianhao to locate them once they were in Xiliu.
The carriage suddenly stopped as the guard driving said, “Prince Yun, the anwei secretly stationed at the border have been ambushed by Prince Hao’s forces. They were already lying in wait at the border!”
Yun Ruofeng raised his brows at this. “That was fast. He sent his troops here instead of coming himself.” Yun Ruofeng then alighted and said, “Settle the Young Madame with a nearby village family. This Prince will return to pick her up after things are finished here.”
“This subordinate obeys the order.” The guard answered before driving the carriage off to look for a nearby village.
Yun Ruofeng stood on the road and stared into the sky. Though the weather was currently pleasant, the light breeze might soon become contaminated with the stench of blood.
Su Xi-er remained silent since she wanted to protect her baby, and adjusted herself so that she sat more comfortably as they travelled.
The carriage arrived at a village two hours later, where the guard sought the help of an elderly woman who was living on her own and gave her some silver coins in exchange for taking care of Su Xi-er.
The old woman’s eyes lit up when she saw the silver, and she nodded readily in agreement. Being from an obscure village near the border, she had never seen so much money in her life!
“Please be assured. I’ll make sure to take good care of the Young Madame.”
The guard bowed and said, “I’ll leave the Young Madame in your care then; many thanks for your help. My master will come to pick her up when he’s done with his business, so please don’t reveal this to anyone else. He will reward you handsomely when he arrives.”
The old woman nodded again. “Great, I’ll do exactly that then!” She then led Su Xi-er into the house. Seeing how the latter had remained silent all this while, the old woman was of the impression that Su Xi-er was not exceptionally friendly.
Su Xi-er looked at the old woman and asked, “What’s the name of this village?”
The old woman said, “This is Xiang Village, the village that’s closest to the border. Young Madame, what would you like to eat?”
“Don’t call me Young Madame. I was kidnapped, and I’m not the wife of his master.”
The old woman’s eyes widened in surprise at this. “You were kidnapped? But that man was quite polite, and he even asked me to take good care of you.”