Chapter 129 Strict Prohibition: Kill without mercy, regardless of cause.

After a night of silence, the streets of the capital were no longer as bustling as yesterday. As Shen Yujiao walked along the long street, she even felt a little empty. She took advantage of the moment the market was reopened to slip out. Fortunately, there weren't many people on the street, and no one noticed her.

She walked straight down the long street, but then she was at a crossroads. To the north was the Duke of Yi's mansion, to the east was the Eastern Palace, and to the south was the Duke of Cheng's residence in the capital. With the current situation so tense, she couldn't tell where was the safest place to go.

The patrolling constables on the street interrupted her thoughts. To avoid them, she instinctively took the most logical route, remaining wary of arrests as she walked until she finally knocked on the side gate of the mansion and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Great, it's Yunniang, let me in quickly."

Yunniang was the personal maid of Lady Cui, the wife of the Duke of Cheng. In the past few days, several capable servants in the house had been secretly given a task by their mistress and mistress: to check each side gate when it was unlocked and locked each day. Unexpectedly, she actually got caught up in it today.

"Young Miss!" Yunniang's tone was filled with undisguised joy. She didn't care about her status at the moment and quickly pulled the person into the mansion, then swiftly closed the side gate.

The mansion was not yet bustling with activity, and the courtyard was quiet and peaceful. As Yunniang led Shen Yujiao towards the backyard, she whispered, "The Duke and Madam anticipated the unrest in the capital and specifically instructed us to keep an eye on the mansion's movements a few days ago. It turns out it was the eldest young lady..."

Reminded by her, Shen Yujiao suddenly stopped in her tracks. She grabbed Yunniang and said somewhat urgently, "Take me to see my father."

Yunniang, who had originally planned to take Shen Yujiao to see the Duchess first, paused, and subconsciously murmured, "The Duke has already gone to court at this hour..."

"Attending court..."

Shen Yujiao was somewhat puzzled. With things in such chaos, was there anything left to discuss in the daily court sessions? Who were they supposed to answer the memorials to? But this doubt vanished in an instant. She grabbed Yunniang and started running around the mansion: "Then let's find Mother, quick!"

Since her daughter went to the northern frontier, the Duchess of Cheng had been listless and lacked appetite, feeling listless whether she was getting up or lying down. This morning, she had just gotten up to dress when she heard a commotion in the courtyard. She frowned and looked towards the door, about to call someone out to check, when a figure in plain clothes burst into the bedroom—

"How dare you!"

"Step back!"

Almost instinctively, Madam Cui dismissed her maid and walked toward the little beggar with red eyes. It was only a few steps, but she found it very difficult to walk.

Shen Yujiao hadn't seen Cui Shi for a long time, and she never expected that Cui Shi would become so haggard in just ten days. She choked up and couldn't speak for a moment, but in just a moment, she raised her hand to wipe away the moisture from the corner of her eyes. She stepped forward and stood beside Cui Shi. After everyone in the room had left, she said urgently, "Mother, quickly, send a message to Father!"

Madam Cui was taken aback by her daughter's first words, but seeing her daughter's anxious expression, she couldn't care less about anything else and subconsciously summoned the Shen family's secret guards. Then she heard Shen Yujiao instruct, "Immediately tell Duke Cheng that the court is dangerous today. Father must return home immediately after court!"

Just a moment ago, Cui was feeling sorry for her daughter, but upon hearing these words, she involuntarily took a half step back. Startled, Shen Yujiao quickly came over to support her, and didn't forget to urge her, "Go quickly!"

Seeing the guards leave in a hurry, Madam Cui held Shen Yujiao's hand with trembling hands. Her heart was filled with bitterness and sorrow that was hard to describe. She looked at her daughter with teary eyes and asked the first question, "Are you hungry?"

Shen Yujiao initially thought she had been frightened, but upon hearing this, she couldn't help but laugh through her tears. Perhaps only a mother would immediately ask if her child was hungry. She nodded emphatically to Cui Shi, "Yes!"

The Duke of Cheng has been feeling uneasy lately. On the one hand, he is worried about his daughter who is far away in the northern frontier, and on the other hand, he is worried about the situation in the court. But as he is worried, the Crown Prince is not in the capital, and he cannot make any response in his position.

He thought today would be the same as the previous days, but when he was waiting outside the palace to enter the court, he heard the whistles of his own guards. It was just a few bird calls, but the Duke of Cheng immediately caught the key information. His eyes darkened instantly, and he looked up at the main hall that was opening its doors.

The palace standing atop the white jade steps resembled a bottomless pit that devoured people, with its open gates like gaping maws, while behind the civil and military officials were the tightly closed palace gates.

During the meal, Shen Yujiao learned roughly about the situation in the capital over the past few days from Madam Cui. While eating, Madam Cui focused on speaking, and Shen Yujiao focused on listening, so the meal was eaten very quickly.

At first, Cui wanted to remind her to pay attention to dining etiquette, but then she thought that her daughter might have been hungry or full during the journey, so she stopped saying anything and just kept serving her food during the breaks in her meal.

After finishing the meal, looking at the empty plate in front of her and Cui Shi who hadn't touched her chopsticks, Shen Yujiao smiled shyly at her. Cui Shi gently wiped the corner of her mouth and asked, "Ajiao, are you full? If you're not full, Mother will have them make some more and send it over."

"I'm full, I'm full," Shen Yujiao quickly waved her hand, "but Mother hasn't eaten anything yet."

“I’m not hungry. Seeing you eat so heartily makes me feel full.”

Looking at Cui's kind face, Shen Yujiao couldn't utter a word. She raised her hand and grasped Cui's hand, struggling to find the right words to speak to her:

The capital is currently under martial law, and she must take advantage of the busiest time of day—noon—to move to the Duke of Yi's residence. Prince Zhao has taken Jiang Yu away, and it's clear Jiang Yu is at a disadvantage between the two. If their plan fails, she must immediately activate her backup plan...

No matter how you put it, it all boils down to one thing: she's going to risk her life again.

Before she could speak, Cui seemed to read her mind. She gently stroked Shen Yujiao's face with her soft hand. Although her eyes were red, she smiled and said, "Go. If you have something to do, do it. If you have anything to tell your father, your mother will pass it on for you."

Looking at this gentle yet resolute woman, Shen Yujiao's throat bobbed involuntarily. She quickly lowered her head to hide her embarrassment and replied hastily, "If Father returns to the manor, tell him that I will come to collect the imperial edict at any time. Unless I come in person, do not give it to anyone else. I hope he will be fully prepared."

"If Father is unable to return to the manor today... I urge Mother to keep the manor gates tightly closed, ensuring no one enters or leaves the manor. Have all the guards and protectors on constant alert. I beg Mother to take good care of yourself!"

“Okay,” Cui Shi gently wiped away her tears with her soft fingertips, and gently agreed, not forgetting to remind her, “Ajiao, whatever you do, please remember that your mother is still waiting for you to come back.”

“Ah Jiao… I understand.”

Shen Yujiao came and went in a hurry. Cui Shi seized every moment to help her wash and dress, and then gave her some money and hidden weapons for self-defense. Finally, before noon, she reluctantly saw her off. Watching her daughter's receding figure, she could only let out a trembling sigh.

Horses and carriages are now banned in the city. The Shen family's secret guards escorted Shen Yujiao all the way towards the Duke of Yi's mansion. At first, they were just being cautious, but when they were about to reach the Duke of Yi's mansion, she heard the Shen family's secret guards say quickly, "There are hoofbeats! Young Miss, run!"

Although the city was still peaceful, Shen Yujiao dared not hesitate for a moment. She abandoned the most inconspicuous side gate and went straight to the west wall. Seeing the rope she had left there, she climbed up the wall in a few steps with the help of the guards and quickly crossed over.

Normally, her actions would undoubtedly attract a lot of attention, but just as she was scaling the wall, the sound of galloping hooves came from the end of the long street. Everyone was drawn to the sound, and the instant she landed, they heard the shouts of the Imperial Guards—

"Starting today, a three-day curfew will be imposed throughout the city. Everyone must stay at home and is not allowed to leave. Anyone who violates this rule and goes out on the streets, regardless of the reason, will be killed without exception."

The Imperial Guards rode their tall horses through the city. The pedestrians and merchants were all defenseless civilians. When they saw the long swords they were waving, they were all so frightened that they ran home immediately. Although the long swords were not drawn, who would not be afraid when the word "kill without mercy" was spoken?

Shen Yujiao pressed her back tightly against the courtyard wall, listening to the commotion and wailing from the other side. She dug her hands into the wall. Such ruthless methods undoubtedly came from Prince Zhao. She no longer needed to wait for news from the Duke of Cheng's mansion. Everything indicated that Jiang Yu's plan had failed.

"XXX!"

Unable to hold back any longer, Shen Yujiao cursed under her breath. As she walked toward the mansion, she frantically tried to figure out what to do next. The city was under lockdown for three days. What would happen after three days? And why did it happen to be three days?

Just as her mind was in turmoil, a bell suddenly rang out from beside her legs. Shen Yujiao subconsciously looked down at the ground and saw a bell tied to a thin thread jingling. She immediately squatted down to turn off the sound and looked around.

"Your Highness!"

A familiar voice came from behind her. Shen Yujiao subconsciously looked over and met a pair of cunning eyes. She exclaimed with some surprise, "Xu Zhiyuan!"

Being able to reunite with Chu Rou at the Duke of Yi's mansion was already an unexpected joy, and now seeing Xu Zhiyuan again, Shen Yujiao was speechless.

“After I left the palace, a curfew was imposed in the city that very night. Fortunately, it was not as strict as it is now. I took advantage of the chaos when the city was just beginning to be fortified to find Physician Xu. He had planned this beforehand. When he saw me coming to find him, he found another excuse to come with me to the Duke of Yi’s mansion.”

Shen Yujiao was surprised by his boldness and meticulousness: "You just came like this? What about Old Master Xu and the Ministry of Works...?"

"Naturally, I kept it a secret from both sides. I told my family that I had something to do at the Ministry of Works, and I asked the Ministry of Works for leave, saying that I had injured my leg. I was on leave for the next few days, but the city was in chaos, and no one cared where I went."

"But you are, after all, a traditional Chinese medicine doctor—"

She stopped mid-sentence, and Shen Yujiao couldn't help but chuckle. The relationship between the Ministry of Works and the Chu family was there, and Minister Zhao was naturally one of their own. This explained why she had accidentally touched the bell earlier.

Without time to think things through, the most important thing at the moment was what to do next. She pulled the two of them aside and gave them a general overview of the current situation outside, then asked for their help: "Think quickly, what special day is it in three days?"

Xu Zhiyuan pondered for a long time, maintaining that thoughtful expression. Shen Yujiao then turned to look at Chu Rou, only to be met with a complex look in Chu Rou's eyes—

"Your Highness, your birthday is in three days."