It was already the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month. A fairly bright full moon hung high in the sky. Under the moonlight, the bare branches in the woods cast messy shadows, which looked quite unsettling.

At first, Granny Lu followed two guards. Although it was winter and the grass in the forest had withered, some vines climbed up the branches to the top of the trees. Even though they were withered, they still made it difficult to move forward.

One guard was cutting the withered branches and vines in front of her with a knife, while another guard followed behind, keeping an eye on the distance of the pursuers. Granny Lu had been busy all day and hadn't even had time to eat lunch. Now she was exhausted and hungry, and she gradually felt her steps becoming heavier and her breathing becoming louder.

The guards behind them whispered, "They're catching up."

The guard in front looked at the sky, quickly determined the direction, and asked, "Granny, are we heading north?"

After thinking for a moment, Granny Lu said, "After passing through this forest, I remember there is a valley. If we go east along the valley and then cross a small hill, we will reach the Xu family's manor. There are always guards on the manor. Let's go there."

For the safety of the chili pepper cultivation, not only did Xu Di arrange for people to guard the manor, but Wei Lang also sent his own team of personal guards, and even called over a team of personal guards from the Jingbei Marquis's residence. A house was also built near the greenhouse on the mountain. After the chili peppers at the foot of the mountain were harvested, a greenhouse was built on the mountain specifically for growing chili peppers. Now all those people are guarding the mountain.

The guard in front said, "Madam, this is too slow. Shall I carry you?"

Granny Lu said, "Now is the time to escape, so let's put aside all those formalities for now. I'll do whatever you say."

The guard in front apologized, picked up Granny Lu, and hurried on his way.

These guards were all carefully selected and specially trained. Whether it was running or hiding, their martial arts skills were top-notch. After returning home and meeting with Chen Wufu, Granny Lu was given six such guards. Granny Lu had been in the palace for so many years, so she knew exactly what was going on with these guards.

On the surface, Chen Wufu sent them to protect Granny Lu, but in reality, Emperor Liang Cheng sent them to protect the Xu family. The crops, vegetables, and even fertilizer that the Xu family offered to the court gave Emperor Liang Cheng hope. As a monarch who cares about the world, what he wants most is for his subjects to be able to eat their fill and live in peace and prosperity, and for himself, as an emperor, to be remembered for these achievements.

The things the Xu family did were actually under the watchful eyes of the people sent by Emperor Liang Cheng. Ever since the grain was planted on the imperial estate, Emperor Liang Cheng had sent many spies to Hexi to protect the Xu family and prevent the people of Yan from coming to rob them. Most of the land in Yan was relatively barren. Although it was rich in mineral resources, if people wanted to have enough to eat, they had to bring goods to Daliang to exchange for them. This was also the main source of iron ore for Daliang.

Two guards carried Granny Lu to the highest point of the mountain forest. In the distance, they could see flames soaring into the sky in the direction of Hexi. The three of them stood there silently watching. Looking at the pursuing group of people, they were still closely following. Granny Lu wiped away the tears in her eyes and said, "Let's hurry up and leave. As long as we are still alive, we can rebuild this city."

Over the past few days, everyone has witnessed the efforts of the Xu family, especially Xu Rao. As the highest-ranking official here, he has truly devoted himself to his work. He has not only worked himself to the bone, but he has also been extremely diligent and conscientious. It can be said that Magistrate Xu has built this city into what it is today bit by bit. It would be a lie to say that he would not feel any pain if he gave it up now.

As the two guards ran, they discussed, "This isn't working. We have to deal with these people behind us."

Behind Granny Lu's back, he wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "How do we handle this? There are only two of us, but there are so many of them."

The guard said, "The young master gave me a package to use in a critical moment. I've seen it; it contains lime powder, chili powder, and some kind of smoke bomb. Do you think we should add these and give it a try?"

The one carrying Granny Lu said, "They probably think Madam Xu is with us. We'll lead them to the estate; there are enough people there."

The first guard said, "Then you take the old woman and leave quickly. I'll hold them off from behind. After you put the old woman down, come back with your men. Let's have a taste of fighting for our country today."

The one carrying Granny Lu heard this and said, "That's fine, brother, then I'll go first."

The descent was much smoother. Under the bright moonlight, the guard moved nimbly through the forest and quickly made his way down the mountain. After crossing the valley, he found himself on the hill that the Xu family had bought, with their estate to the south.

The guards carried Granny Lu on their backs and quickly arrived at the house near the greenhouse on the mountain.

The people inside the house were surprised to see Granny Lu. Zhao Zhuangtou said, "Oh my, Granny Lu, what brings you here at this hour? Where are our master and mistress?"

Granny Lu was so tired that she couldn't stand up after sitting down. She said, "They've all gone to Yanmen Pass. How are things on your end?"

Zhao Zhuangtou said, "We've blocked the narrowest part of the road leading from here to Hexi, so they won't be able to get through for a while. Granny, I've taken the initiative to call all the people from Zhangjiazhuang up the mountain. If the Northern Di people come, we can run into the mountains."

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!