Song Chaoyu smiled and nestled into Mu Changxi's embrace, "Let's go, let's head into the city first!"
Mu Changxi nodded, his gaze then turning serious.
They were essentially sneaking into the city, and the situation within was still unknown.
Xiao Ruiz led the way, cautiously peeking into the city. Seeing no sign of the patrol guards Qi Dazhu had mentioned, he whispered to them, "Master, Madam, we can come out now!"
As they emerged from the cave, the sky outside was still pitch black.
Outside the cave was a small bamboo grove, followed by a path. The path seemed to lead to some dwellings, but this end was eerily silent. Two unfinished courtyards stood there, seemingly abandoned and indeed empty.
They temporarily hid in the bamboo grove, watching for flickering lights in the distance, everyone holding their breath.
Cheng Ying leaped into the air from the darkness, going to scout ahead.
A moment later, Cheng Ying returned, "The streets are full of patrolling people, it's likely not safe at night. I took a look, and this unfinished courtyard next to us is empty. We can go in there to take shelter for a while."
He pointed to the side, "There's a low wall next to it, we can climb over!"
In fact, if Song Chaoyu hadn't been there, none of them would have had trouble entering that courtyard.
Taking advantage of the patrol guards not being there yet, they moved quickly.
Without the wheelchair, even Mu Changxi was agile.
When climbing the wall, Cheng Ying pulled from above, and Mu Changxi supported Song Chaoyu from below.
Song Chaoyu summoned the same energy she had when climbing trees with Mu Changxi at the manor, moving with surprising agility.
Upon landing, she even received praise from Cheng Ying, "If I didn't know Madam wouldn't take it easy, I might have thought Madam was also skilled in martial arts!"
Song Chaoyu gave him a playful glare, as the sound of patrol guards' footsteps could already be heard outside.
They hid in a corner of the courtyard, having no time to get into the half-built house.
Fortunately, the courtyard wall was high enough, and the night was dark enough. As long as they remained silent, the people outside wouldn't notice them.
"Ah… I'm tired, so sleepy!"
Song Chaoyu heard the patrol guards stop when they reached their location.
One soldier seemed unable to bear it any longer, starting to eat his dry rations while complaining, "They won't let anyone sleep all night. What's going on in the city? They just tell us to patrol here, but what exactly are we patrolling for?"
It seemed that even if the city's guarding general was the instigator, the guards likely didn't know the real situation.
They were merely following the general's orders, not knowing what they were doing.
"Shut up!"
Someone rebuked the man, likely the captain of this patrol squad, "Don't you know how many people died in the city guard's mansion yesterday? If you keep talking nonsense, you might be the next to die! We have to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the city. Hurry up and eat, and then continue patrolling!"
The soldier sighed, "Are we also going to be sealed off in this city? The news will get out sooner or later! The city guard has died, and the city is in chaos. Some citizens have already spoken out today. What about tomorrow, or the day after? Are they going to kill all the citizens to silence them?"
It appeared that the people of Qin Prefecture were also getting restless.
The guard captain tapped the speaking man's head with his sword sheath, "Enough, the general has his own decisions. You all be alert tomorrow, don't anger the general. We will survive. If we panic from the start, how will we suppress those rioting citizens?"
With that, the soldier stopped talking, quickly finished his food, and went back to patrolling with the others.
Song Chaoyu understood that the situation in the city was not optimistic. After the guards left, she quietly said to Mu Changxi, "I'm afraid we still won't be able to move freely tomorrow. How will we gather information? We need to find a place to stay!"
Mu Changxi looked at Cheng Ying, who also whispered, "Madam, don't worry. His Highness had already considered possible situations. Fortunately, we entered through this city gate. Tomorrow morning, we'll find a way to get through the bamboo grove ahead. At the end of the bamboo grove, there's a family surnamed 'Han.' We've already spoken to them, and we can go straight in."
The surname Han? Could it be a coincidence?
Song Chaoyu squeezed Mu Changxi's hand, and he smiled and nodded, "It's Granny Han's nephew's family. You met him when we were at the manor. He came to us for refuge for two years, and I helped him a lot, so you can trust him."
Song Chaoyu remembered that there was indeed another person named "Han Sheng" who had come to Granny Han, saying his family had suffered a disaster and his parents had both died.
He had lived at the manor for about two years, and Song Chaoyu always called him "Second Brother Han." Later, he said he had joined a merchant caravan to learn business.
Afterward, he sent letters and gifts to Granny Han and Mu Changxi almost every year. Song Chaoyu hadn't expected him to be in Qin Prefecture. "How did he end up in Qin Prefecture?"
Cheng Ying smiled, "He's a businessman who travels everywhere. He found his current wife in Qin Prefecture, so he settled there. I didn't expect him to be such a great help to us now!"
Song Chaoyu, however, was a little worried, "Should we let him know our identities?"
Mu Changxi shook his head, "Certainly not. I'm not in a wheelchair anymore, so I'll just say I'm Han Xi."
That was true. Song Chaoyu had also been from the manor, and everyone knew her, so Han Sheng likely wouldn't think much of it.
They waited there for nearly two hours until the sky finally began to lighten.
"Doo doo doo—"
A strange horn sound came from the direction of the city guard's mansion.
The patrol guards around them heard the sound and began to run towards the city guard's mansion.
This was a good opportunity!
Before dawn broke, no one would notice them.
They escaped from the dilapidated courtyard and then slipped into the bamboo grove. Walking through the forest was less conspicuous than walking in the open.
Fortunately, the journey was uneventful.
Although they encountered two patrol teams, the guards were all busy gathering at the city guard's mansion, and no one noticed them hiding in the woods.
At one point, a guard team was only three to five meters away from them, but they didn't detect their presence.
Soon, at the edge of the forest, Song Chaoyu saw a modest-sized house.
From a distance, she could see the plaque at the entrance of the house, which indeed bore the character "Han."
At this moment, whether it was because the family members were not yet awake or due to the situation in the city, the Han family's gate was tightly shut, and the surroundings were silent.
Cheng Ying dared not approach and knock rashly, so he asked Song Chaoyu and the others to wait there. He took Mu Changxi's token and leaped over the wall. If he whistled three times, they could enter through the back door.