Little Pink Starfish

The Impenetrable City Gate

Da Dangjia and his crew charged out of the Taichang slave market, dragged along the longevity gift cart, and helped the women—including Xiaofeng—into the carriages. The entire party then raced toward the southern gate of Taichang City.

Though located within Longcheng Pass, Taichang wasn’t a military city. Its full garrison numbered only about a thousand soldiers. Of those, five hundred had already been assigned to secure the slave market. Now, with only five hundred soldiers left under his command, the magistrate realized the slave market chaos and the rescue of the Jiang clan was no small matter. He immediately penned a letter, dispatched a rider to Longcheng Pass for reinforcements, and led his remaining troops to defend the southern gate.

Er Gouzi had originally gone to the magistrate’s office, intending to get a pass stamped using Gu Xinglang’s official document. But upon seeing the mobilized soldiers and the air of impending battle, he turned tail and ran back to report.

Da Dangjia’s group reached the south gate, only to be met with a volley of arrows from the walls above.

“These traitors saved the Jiang clan,” the magistrate yelled from atop the wall. “Their only escape is through the southern gate into the Taichang Mountains. All we need to do is hold this gate—they’ll have no way out!”

Several attempts to reach and batter the gate failed; Da Dangjia and his men couldn’t break through the storm of arrows.

“We’re stuck!” Second-in-command shouted.

Da Dangjia wiped the sweat from his brow. He could handle brawls and robberies—but storming a city gate? That wasn’t in his skill set.

Second-in-command glanced around. “Wait—where’s the princess and the prince consort?”

Da Dangjia glared. Was that a complaint that he ran too fast?

Just then, Miss Qian jogged over with her back hunched, demanding, “You just going to stand here? Give me some men—I’ll make a run at it!”

Da Dangjia clasped his hands in mock courtesy. “Can we not start this now?”

She cracked her whip. “Start? If you weren’t so useless, I wouldn’t need to!”

Da Dangjia felt personally attacked. Should he just let this loudmouth noble girl charge into death? Her staying alive seemed to be everyone else’s torment.

Then Xiao Zhuang arrived, carrying the unconscious Jiang Zhuojun.

Da Dangjia saw the limp body. “He’s dead?”

“No, just passed out. Why aren’t you moving? Why stop here?”

Da Dangjia pointed at the gate. “You see those two rows of archers? You want us to go die?”

Miss Qian said coolly, “So you admit you’re useless?”

“Control your woman!” Da Dangjia shouted at Xiao Zhuang.

“Who’s his woman?!”

“Who said I’m her man?!”

Both snapped back in unison.

Da Dangjia folded his hands, pleading, “Ancestors, can we not do this right now? Let’s focus on staying alive!”

“Should we try another gate?” Second-in-command asked.

“To which one?” Da Dangjia retorted.

“Back the way we came.”

“You want to head for Longcheng Pass?” Da Dangjia barked. “That’s a heavily fortified stronghold—you want to die faster?”

Second-in-command sat down, speechless.

A brother muttered, “Why don’t we just take over the city?”

Da Dangjia kicked him. “Did you forget your brain at home? We came to deliver a gift, not start a war!”

Miss Qian snapped, “Hurry up and come up with a plan. We can’t stay here.”

“You’re ex-palace,” Da Dangjia said to Xiao Zhuang. “You must know something.”

Xiao Zhuang scowled. Palace work doesn’t mean I know how to breach city gates!

At that moment, Wang Momo’s voice rang out. “Why are you still standing here?”

Everyone turned. Wang Momo was dragging the old Daoist over.

Da Dangjia muttered, “What use is this guy? He can’t even run without Wang Momo hauling him!”

She reached the group and tossed the Daoist onto a cart like cargo.

“What happened to him?” Xiao Zhuang asked.

“Twisted ankle,” Wang Momo huffed.

Everyone gave the Daoist a look of disdain. He pretended to be unconscious.

“Where’s the princess?” Wang Momo asked after scanning the scene.

Silence.

She turned a sharp eye on Da Dangjia. “You lost her?”

He puffed up. “No one can harm her! And Prince Consort isn’t here either—he’s definitely with her. Those two together? What could go wrong?”

“What could go wrong?” she repeated coldly. “And what’s your job again?”

Da Dangjia shrank back. Right… I’m the one supposed to keep her safe.

She turned to Xiao Zhuang.

He shrank back too.

She pointed at the unconscious Jiang Zhuojun. “This who she saved?”

Da Dangjia leapt to flatter, “Sharp eyes, Momo! You saw through him at a glance!”

“Covered in wounds—what else could he be but a slave?” she muttered. Then to Xiao Zhuang, “She took pity on him?”

“He’s not a slave,” Xiao Zhuang quickly said.

“Then a criminal slave?”

Xiao Zhuang: … Why is she so sharp?

Miss Qian bent down to examine Jiang Zhuojun’s face. “Not bad-looking. So the princess fell for his pretty face?”

Xiao Zhuang kicked her. Are you trying to die?

“Miss Qian,” Wang Momo said pointedly.

“I’ll go stand over there,” she said, fleeing.

Wang Momo frowned at Jiang Zhuojun. A handsome criminal slave? What was the princess thinking?

Just then, the Jiang clan survivors began arriving.

She looked at the ragged, wounded group and asked Xiao Zhuang, “What’s this?”

“His family,” he said, gesturing to Jiang Zhuojun.

Da Dangjia sighed. “Princess is too kind—not just the pretty boy, but his whole clan.”

“He’s a friend of the prince consort,” Xiao Zhuang added quickly. “That’s why she helped.”

Wang Momo’s expression softened. “The prince consort has friends in Zhuque?”

Xiao Wei arrived then, carrying Jiang Yuen-niang on his back and holding Xiaobao in his arms. Seeing the closed gates and armed guards above, he wore a grim expression.

Da Dangjia’s group all exchanged looks. Xiao Wei’s got two people? There’s a story here…