After Jing Xi finished speaking, everyone nodded in understanding. So that's how it is. It seems that Prince An has a reason for being in Huangzhou. Perhaps Mr. Gongsun is a breakthrough.

Ji Mohan glanced at the Crown Prince, and in the instant their eyes met, an idea formed in his mind. It seemed they couldn't sneak in secretly anymore; they had to find an opportunity to enter openly.

Jingxi saw that they understood her meaning, smiled and nodded. It's so much easier to talk to smart people.

“Then we can start with Mr. Gongsun,” Yan Wan suggested.

"Mmm, Wan'er, you're smart. That's exactly what I was thinking." Jing Xi nodded and gave Yan Wan a flirtatious wink.

“Alright, let me contact Chao Shuo in the city to confirm the situation, and then we’ll make a plan,” Ji Mohan said in a deep voice.

"good."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty."

Several people responded in unison, "It seems that this is the best solution."

The city of Huangzhou is extremely dangerous, and they are unwilling to take the risk if there is a safer way.

Moreover, they did not know the specific situation inside Huangzhou City, how many soldiers Prince An had stationed, where the troops were concentrated, whether the people in the city were safe, and so on, so they could not take the risk.

Ji Mohan went outside and released the flare signal light hanging from his waist into the air. Chao Shuo should be able to see it from within the city.

Once he sees it, he will try to respond to them.

"Are you done, Hanhan?" Yan Wan asked as she stepped forward.

“Alright, now we can just wait patiently for news from Chao Shuo. He's in the city and should know more about the situation than we do. Chao Shuo is clever, he should be able to thrive in the city,” Ji Mohan said, looking at Yan Wan.

Yan Wan also breathed a sigh of relief. Chao Shuo had connections in the city, which made it easier for them to go in and investigate the situation.

——

Inside Huangzhou City.

At the corner of the city gate, a ragged man sat with a group of beggars. He furtively looked around, and suddenly, seeing someone coming from the east, his eyes lit up. He rushed over, grabbed the man's leg, and wailed, "Please, kind person, give me some food! I haven't eaten for three days! Please, I'm starving!"

The man who came over pulled hard on his robe, and when he couldn't tear it open, he prepared to kick him with his other foot. Chao Shuo reacted quickly and grabbed the man's raised foot, howling in agony.

The man saw that the beggar wouldn't leave unless he gave him money, so he had no choice but to pay up to avoid trouble. Helplessly, he took out a banknote from his sleeve and handed it to Chao Shuo. Upon seeing the money, Chao Shuo hurriedly got up, stuffed the money into his body, and ran away in a hurry.

Chao Shuo ran into an alley, then twisted and turned until he entered a courtyard. He glanced around warily before jumping into someone's house.

He hid on the roof beam and, seeing that no one was in the house, Chao Shuo nodded in satisfaction. He had finally begged for money today.

Ji Mohan: "Chao Shuo is clever and resourceful; he should thrive in the city."

Chao Shuo: Huh? Me?

Just as Chao Shuo was about to lie down on the roof beam to rest for a while, he heard a loud bang in the air. He nimbly flipped off the roof beam, hid behind the window and peeked out, only to find that it was his master's emergency order.

Chao Shuo looked up and touched his chin. It seemed he had to find a way to go out.

But how can we get out of the city without anyone noticing?

The city of Huangzhou was heavily guarded; otherwise, with his skills, he wouldn't have been hiding on the roof beams like a thief. He had tried many methods since entering Huangzhou, such as working with shop assistants or the apprentices of pharmacy owners, but the city seemed to be filled with eyes; they always found outsiders with ease, and it took him a great deal of effort to hide.

It's really not easy to go out now.

If we want to get in, it will be even harder.

——

midnight.

At the gate of Huangzhou City.

From afar, you can see an old man pushing a flatbed cart, swaying as he walks to the city gate.

The soldiers at the city gate raised their hands to stop him, and said fiercely, "What are you pulling?"

The old man was clearly frightened and said tremblingly, "Gentlemen, this is swill from the prefect's residence. Take it outside the city and dump it."

The soldiers exchanged glances, and the leader gestured for his men to go and check. One soldier stepped forward, lifted the lid, and saw a black, greasy, and foul-smelling swill that was almost unbearable to look at.

The soldier glanced at it briefly and quickly covered it up; it really stank. He shook his head, indicating that he hadn't found anything.

Upon seeing this, the leader waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him opened the city gate, letting the old man out.

"You, once you're out here, come back quickly. You only have half an hour, or don't bother coming back," the leading soldier said fiercely.

"Yes, yes, sir, I will definitely be back soon." His voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

"Okay, let's go," the leading officer said impatiently.

The old man hurriedly lifted the flatbed cart and swayed as he walked out. Because the smell of the swill was so overwhelming, every soldier who passed by covered their noses and avoided it. No one noticed that the swill cart tracks were much deeper than usual this time.

After pushing the swill cart out, the old man found a quiet spot to stop, and with trembling hands, he patted the lid of the swill bucket, saying, "Young hero, we've arrived. You can come out now."

Thud!

The lid of the swill bucket was flung open from the inside, and a man covered in swill crawled out. He looked at me with disgust, retching and saying, "Ugh... thank you, ugh, here's the money to treat your grandson's illness. Ugh..."

Chao Shuo couldn't stand it anymore; the smell was too strong. He took out some silver from his pocket and handed it to the old man. The old man didn't immediately reach out to take it, but instead pointed lightly at the carriage, indicating that he should put the money in the carriage.

Although he was emptying swill, the swill was so dirty that Yinzi would probably have to wash it several times when he got back.

Chao Shuo looked at the old man who was showing him disdain with a look of utter despair, and all he wanted to do was wail in his heart, "For the sake of the prince, ugh... I've sacrificed so much... so much!"

After leaving the money, Chao Shuo left immediately and disappeared in a few moments. The old man watched the young man's retreating figure with a meaningful smile.

Military camp.

"Your Highness, Chao Shuo requests an audience." Chao Shuo stood outside the Ji Mo Han camp tent, covered in swill.

Li Shang, who was passing by, wanted to go up and say hello, but the stench made him stand eight feet away from Chao Shuo. Chao Shuo gave him a resentful look.

"Enter." Ji Mohan's deep voice rang out from inside the tent.

Chao Shuo was quite happy. The prince was so kind; he didn't look down on him at all and even let him in. Hehe.

As soon as Chao Shuo entered, the smell inside the tent instantly became more intense. Ji Mohan frowned and looked at Chao Shuo, who had just entered, and said, "Get out, Chao Shuo, get out."

Chao Shuo said sadly, "Yes, Your Highness."

Seeing Chao Shuo being kicked out, Li Shang and Wei Ting stood aside and laughed wildly, because they had just guessed that Chao Shuo would definitely be kicked out.

As expected, the prince never disappointed them.