The celadon teacup in Mu Shuren’s hand slammed onto the floor with a loud crack, shattering into three pieces that scattered across the room. Scalding hot tea splashed onto the hem of his python-patterned robe, making him jump in a start. Staring fixedly at the scout kneeling on the ground, his knuckles white with tension, he forced the words out from between his clenched teeth: "Say that again?"
"R-Reporting to Your Excellency!" The scout pressed his forehead against the green bricks, his voice trembling. "Xia Huai'an personally leads an army of ten thousand Xiangyong Army, and they have already crossed Qingshi Gorge! The vanguard cavalry is less than a hundred miles from Jincheng!"
"Clatter—" Assistant Prefect Chen abruptly stood up, knocking over his desk and sending bamboo maps and slips scattering across the floor. Too panicked to clean them up, he stumbled backward two steps, his face completely drained of color. "My Lord, from Qingshi Gorge to Jincheng is flat terrain all the way, paved entirely with cement roads! Xia Huai'an is plotting a rebellion..." By the end of his sentence, his voice was shaking uncontrollably.
Chapter 144