If they got hit now, they would be smashed to pieces. Edward Bennett let out another terrifying scream, his legs suddenly springing half a meter into the air, forcefully leaping over the back of the harnessed horse pulling the first carriage. At that very moment, Seventh Son Evans had also caught up, and, unable to stop himself, he too pushed off with both legs, darting over the same horse’s back like a hawk.

It was only because the other party had deliberately chosen Shiwei horses—famous for their endurance but rather short in stature—for safety on the road, that the two of them managed to escape disaster. If they had used the Turkic or Khitan horses from the army, both Edward Bennett and his pursuer Seventh Son Evans would have been crippled by the harnessed horses. However, while the two of them had narrowly escaped with their lives, the pampered harnessed horses, long accustomed to the comfort of noble households, had never been so frightened. Suddenly, a “whinny” roared out from the middle of the convoy, and two of the harnessed horses, ignoring the shouts of the drivers before and behind, bolted off the main road, dragging their carriage straight toward a nearby open area.

“Ah—!” From inside the carriage pulled by the panicked horses, a woman let out a piercing scream. The carriage didn’t stop for a moment, the shafts striking sparks off the roadside stones.

“Oh no!” Hearing the woman’s scream, Edward Bennett instantly sobered up. He was, after all, a scion of a once-prominent family, and though his household had declined for years, he still retained the upbringing. He was intimately familiar with the Tang court’s clothing regulations and carriage ranks. A carriage decorated with white bronze was at least for a duke or marquis’s family, or for a county princess or her consort. A few years ago, when the emperor was enforcing frugality, it was even possible that a princess herself might be inside.

An eight-horse carriage, all with white bronze fittings, all with chestnut Shiwei ponies. No matter who was inside, if anyone was harmed today, even if Edward Bennett had three heads, it wouldn’t be enough to save him. So he didn’t dare worry about Seventh Son Evans’s pursuit any longer, and dashed after the carriage. Seventh Son Evans, startled by Edward Bennett’s sudden change, immediately realized the gravity of the situation, dropped his sword, and followed closely behind.

How could two-legged men outrun four-legged panicked horses? The white bronze carriage was about to be dragged by the horses into the blue-brick wall of a roadside house, and the woman’s screams from inside the carriage had turned hoarse, breaking off and resuming. Edward Bennett closed his eyes, all his strength instantly drained. If he’d known it would come to this, why had he taken on this job? He’d hoped to use this chance to curry favor with someone, find a way out for himself, and restore the Bennett family’s name. Who would have thought that instead of finding a way out, he’d end up at death’s door?

Just then, in the blink of an eye, as he closed his eyes, two more figures leapt in front of the carriage. One was Henry Carter, who had been fighting and was now covered in mud, and the other was a burly man, half a head taller and twice as broad as Henry Carter. The two of them pounced almost simultaneously, exchanging a quick glance in midair. Then, Henry Carter suddenly dropped lower, diving straight for the carriage shaft. The big man let out a thunderous shout, “Take this!” and his bowl-sized fist smashed down, landing squarely on the neck of one of the panicked horses.

“Whinny!” One of the two panicked horses let out another miserable cry, convulsed in pain, and collapsed to its knees. Immediately after, the other horse was also felled by the burly man. Before the carriage could overturn, Henry Carter wrapped his arms around the shaft, ran a few steps with the momentum of the carriage, and pressed down hard on the brake. “Whoa!” he shouted, his eyes bulging as if they would burst. The carriage, dragging him along, lurched forward a few more steps, but finally stopped just before the compartment crashed into the wall.

All of this happened in a flash, as quick as lightning. The onlookers who hadn’t managed to flee were all stunned, mouths agape, forgetting even to cheer. The servants from the following carriages, however, reacted quickly, jumping down and drawing their swords, surrounding both the troublemakers and the rescuers in the center. They only waited for a word from the woman inside the carriage before chopping everyone to pieces.

Before he could even catch his breath, Henry Carter, one of the rescuers, was himself stunned. Just over an hour ago, he’d been mocking how there were so many officials in the capital that a single fire could burn twenty generals to death. He never expected retribution to come so quickly—after a random fight, he’d ended up involving at least a county princess. In his grandfather’s day, this might not have been such a big deal. But now, his so-called Young Master Carter was just a minor viscount, living idly and bullying commoners at best—how could he afford to provoke a county princess riding in a carriage decked out in white bronze?

Note 1: Lingyan Pavilion was built by Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, to commemorate his meritorious officials. It features portraits of twenty such officials. Many were his trusted civil ministers, but among the people, it was believed that the likes of Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling, who spent long periods in the military, were both civil and military talents, not mere scholars.

Note 2: Han chi (Han foot), one chi is approximately 23 centimeters today.

Chapter One: The Sound of Autumn (Part Two)

“Old Reed, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and open the carriage—see if Madam is hurt!” At this critical moment, a calm and unhurried voice sounded from behind the ring of blades. Henry Carter turned at the sound and saw the brothers Samuel Foster and David Foster arriving together, followed by more than twenty sturdy family retainers.