When the sun was high in the sky, Lou Mu returned to his residence. Without any hesitation, he strode open the door of Huasheng Pavilion, only to find it eerily quiet inside.

Where is Tang Nian?

"Miss is gone. This is what she left for you, Senior." Jing Yao hurried over to Lou Mu's side, and seeing his dark face, carefully took out the things Tang Nian had left behind from her sleeve.

Lou Mu pursed his lips and opened the envelope. Inside was a thin sheet of paper with five large characters written crookedly on it.

"Never think of Nanyu City."

Lou Mu calmly flipped through the letter, but couldn't find the sixth character. He muttered under his breath, "That heartless bastard."

She's still avoiding him.

Lou Mu opened the porcelain bottle, took a light sniff, and smelled the familiar herbal scent, which eased his dark complexion.

No, it can't be said that it's just a temporary relief.

Jing Yao stood beside Lou Mu, staring in shock at what was behind him.

Then his eight tails materialized with a "whoosh," intertwining in the air. No, actually, you could say nine; the tail he exchanged with Jing Yao even had a faint, ethereal shadow, mimicking the swaying of the other tails behind him.

"senior……"

Following Jing Yao's finger, Lou Mu looked behind him and his expression became somewhat unnatural.

He coughed twice and said softly, "It's nothing serious."

With that, he waved his hand, and all nine tails were retracted.

"Your Excellency, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review requests an audience."

With the new emperor's ascension to the throne, everything is in disarray, and many cases will be overturned and restarted. Apart from the emperor and the Minister of Justice, the chief minister, Lou Mu, is the busiest person.

He carefully tucked the porcelain bottle and letter into his sleeve, then strode away, leaving Jingyao alone in the spot.

"Even the senior can't control his tail?" Jing Yao murmured, suddenly feeling less anxious about the occasional peeping sounds coming from her ears.

She slapped her forehead and quickly went back to pack her things.

She didn't miss the words her senior had left her before he passed away.

"Once things are settled in the capital, we'll go to Nanyu City to find Tang Nian."

...

Tang Nian's original intention in leaving the letter was simply to politely inform Lou Mu that if she knew Lou Mu still wanted to come looking for her, she would immediately turn her carriage away from Nanyu City.

Well, she just didn't want Lou Mu to know that she had fled in panic.

Unfortunately, she doesn't know anything right now and is still feeling drowsy and confused.

After an unknown amount of time, Tang Nian was almost asleep when An Yi's voice sounded outside the car. The deep voice made the two people in the car tremble.

"Miss, I have bad news."

Hearing the voice, Chu Roujia sat up straight, her voice showing no sign of drowsiness: "Speak."

Upon hearing this, An lifted a corner of the curtain and handed in several pieces of white cloth.

Tang Nian picked up a piece and felt that it looked somewhat familiar.

"The people in this caravan were originally from Nanyu City. Later, they traveled all over the country for a living and hadn't been home for many years. I don't know where they got the news that a plague had broken out in Nanyu City. They brought some food home and when they heard that we were going to Nanyu City, they gave us a few masks."

"Plague? I've never heard of it." Chu Roujia frowned.

Even if she had lived in the palace for a long time, such an important matter should not have escaped the notice of her informants.

Tang Nian raised an eyebrow slightly and placed the mask beside her: "No rush, we should be able to get there before dark. Let's go check the situation first."

Suddenly, she remembered that the person sitting next to her wasn't Bi Fang, but Chu Roujia, a mere mortal. Even if she wasn't careful, she could still contract the plague. Although having her by her side would prevent her from dying, it would still cause some harm to her body.

Thinking this through, Tang Nian suggested with some unease, "Roujia, how about..."

"Sister Tang, do you want to go home?" Chu Roujia turned around and stared at Tang Nian with displeasure before Tang Nian could finish speaking.

"No, I'm worried about you..."

“No need, I must go this time.” Chu Roujia refused with unusual firmness. “An Yi, continue towards Nanyu City.”

Tang Nian sighed softly and didn't try to persuade her any further.

In the stillness, the carriage swayed and bumped as it arrived at the city gate. Sensing that the carriage had stopped, Tang Nian lifted the curtain again.

The city gates were tightly closed and heavily guarded, with all the guards on the city walls wearing masks and holding long spears.

Outside the city gates, a large number of displaced people had gathered, their faces sallow and their bodies emaciated, exuding a thick stench and the aura of death. Some of the stronger people slumped at the city gates, wailing incessantly. The people inside the city, however, remained unmoved.

Tang Nian glanced at Chu Roujia and noticed that she had also lifted the curtain and was staring intently out of the car. After a long while, she slowly said, "Let's go into the city."

"Who goes there!" The guards on the city wall shouted as they saw the luxurious carriage approaching the city gate.

An Yi did not forget Chu Roujia's instructions: "Those who come from the capital must enter the city."

Upon hearing that people from the capital were coming, a commotion broke out on the city wall. Several people could be seen walking down the wall from a distance, but no one opened the city gate.

After a long silence, the guards continued to shout, "Nanyu City only allows exits, not entry. Please return."

“This…” An Yi hesitated for a moment, then glanced back and saw a slender hand holding up a token from behind the curtain.

An Yi understood immediately, took the token and held it above his head: "Princess Huaining is here, why don't you open the city gates at once!"

Another commotion erupted on the city wall, followed by everyone kneeling down: "Greetings, Princess."

The eyes of the dying civilians outside the city gate shone with an unprecedented light as they struggled to move toward the carriage.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man who was so thin he was practically skin and bones darted out from beside the carriage. He leaned over and tried to touch Chu Roujia, but Tang Nian quickly pulled her back into the carriage, keeping the man outside the curtain.

Chu Roujia leaned against the carriage, still shaken. She took a few deep breaths and took the mask from Tang Nian's hand: "Thank you, Sister Tang."

"Since you're here, put on your mask and don't have any contact with them."

"Open the city gates," An Yi said impatiently to the city wall, kicking the man aside.

"This... Nanyu City is currently inaccessible, and the princess's body is probably..." The guards above still hesitated.

The imperial court has not issued any orders; if anything happens to the princess in Nanyu City, their heads will be in danger.

"My mind is made up. Open the city gates," Chu Roujia declared in a gentle yet authoritative voice.