"Maybe we shouldn't look anymore and should just leave quickly?" Boss Zhou really didn't want to stay here any longer and just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"I still want to take a look." Zhao Guihua didn't know why, but she just wanted to confirm it.

"What if those thugs' accomplices come over?" Boss Zhou asked.

Zhao Guihua's face stiffened, and she hesitated as expected. She looked at the stars and said, "Then forget it, getting on the road is the priority."

In the courtyard of the Zhong residence, a man in a tight-fitting outfit sneaked into her room. The man was pale and obviously seriously injured. He knelt on one knee and said, "Madam, our men have all been wiped out. I barely managed to escape."

Upon learning that she was now all alone, Ye Yingtao's beautiful face began to twist slightly. "Useless! All you know how to do is spend my money. When it really matters, not a single one of you is of any use."

“Madam, we can’t blame them for this. It was just too sudden and bizarre. Those people weren’t killed by the Zhou family. They were crushed to death by a tree, and two others slipped and fell to their deaths. It was similar to the last time they were killed by a meteorite.”

"So, according to you, if our people attack the Zhou family, they'll inexplicably die in an accident?" Ye Yingtao pondered. "It seems that little girl might actually be a real princess, blessed with good fortune; anyone who touches her is asking for trouble."

"I believe that little girl is definitely a lucky princess. Keeping her alive is very disadvantageous to Your Highness. Should we find a way to kill her as soon as possible?"

“Alright, I’ll entrust this important task to you.” Ye Yingtao said, raising an eyebrow.

Well.

The last remaining subordinate froze, not daring to speak again. After a moment of silence, he said, "All the people we can use are dead. We can't rely on ourselves. The Zhou family is getting further and further away and is now getting closer and closer to Quanshui Prefecture. Why don't we send a message by carrier pigeon and hand over the mission to the people in Quanshui Prefecture?"

Ye Yingtao smiled with satisfaction, "Okay, let's do it your way."

The subordinate secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had almost gotten himself into trouble, but luckily he reacted quickly and passed the trouble to the people of Quanshui Mansion.

The Gu family residence in Quanshui Prefecture.

After receiving the letter from Nanyang Prefecture, Wu Lianlian smiled contemptuously, "That bitch Ye Yingtao is getting more and more useless. She can't even handle a small matter properly, and in the end, she actually pushed it onto me, making me clean up her mess."

The Gu family steward, standing to the side, frowned, his expression grave. He carefully said, "Madam, I have learned that the forces in Nanyang Prefecture have been basically destroyed. All the carefully trained assassins are dead, leaving only Ye Yingtao and her capable assistant."

Wu Lianlian frowned. "It's that serious? Ye Yingtao only has about twenty assassins under her command, but she's lost quite a few over the years. This time, she was sent to silence the Zhou family, but she ended up wiping out all her own men."

It seems we all underestimated the Zhou family. Perhaps they are not ordinary farmers at all. Have we investigated further? Why did the Zhou family come to Quanshuifu?

"My subordinates haven't yet found out the Zhou family's purpose in coming to Quanshui Prefecture. Our men went to Yegou Village to investigate, but they didn't find any useful clues. The Zhou family is really difficult to deal with. It's not that Ye Yingtao is incompetent; things are just too unbelievable. The way those assassins died is too bizarre..."

Steward Gu is very capable; he has control over every move in Nanyang Prefecture.

"Such a strange thing?" Wu Lianlian thought for a moment, but still didn't believe it. "You send ten people to intercept and kill them on the road. I want to see if the Zhou family is really that strange. Maybe the previous times were just coincidences. I don't believe we can't kill them."

Wu Lianlian's methods and abilities are more than twice as strong as Ye Yingtao's. Last year, she secretly killed the original wife of the Gu family. Although she has not completely taken over the position, she still holds the power in the inner quarters of the Gu family.

The original wife's generous dowry also fell into her hands, and with Master Gu's doting on her, she was never short of money. Even if Prince Gong cut off her financial support, she could still support hundreds of assassins.

Wu Lianlian's mind worked quickly. With a gloomy face, she said, "Could that little girl from the Zhou family really be a princess, the lucky princess that the dog emperor mentioned? If that's the case, we can't leave her alive."

“Madam is right. The Prince wrote a letter a while ago saying that he would set off yesterday. If he travels by water, he should be able to arrive in a month at most,” said Steward Gu.

"That's great! As long as His Highness comes, we can find a way to start mining the silver mine." Wu Lianlian was very loyal to Prince Gong, unlike Ye Yingtao, who was most concerned about her own life and death and would secretly curse the prince when she had no money.

“That silver mine is quite large. We won’t have to worry about money and weapons. Your Highness’s ascension to the throne is just around the corner.” Steward Gu and Wu Lianlian exchanged a smile, their expressions full of smugness.

The Zhou family stopped by the roadside to rest. There was an inn not far ahead. Because they had almost been burned to death in the inn last time, the Zhou family was still traumatized. They felt apprehensive whenever they saw an inn and thought it would be safer to sleep in the carriage.

Of course, unless it suddenly rains, they would rather sleep outdoors than go into a shop.

"Put the fried rice in the earthenware pot to cook porridge, then add some wild vegetables picked along the way, some cured meat, and plenty of fried rice. Cook it until it's thick and creamy, and we'll eat it with flatbread later." Zhao Guihua sat to the side, holding Xingxing, while keeping a watchful eye on her surroundings. She dared not relax for a moment now.

"The fried rice smells so good, and the porridge smells so good too. Candy loves it." Candy stared at the earthenware pot, watching Zhou Dafu cook the porridge intently. Especially when he stirred it with a spoon, the aroma made Candy's mouth water and tears streamed down her face.

Xingxing took a small ball of fried rice out of her pocket and handed it to the candy, saying, "Here, have some. It's dipped in honey, so sweet and delicious."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!