Zhong Muyu immediately called Zaochun over: "Zaochun, what we've been doing has been discovered by the other side. They should be moving things right now, so we must speed things up!"

Seeing that she was about to rush out after getting dressed, Zaochun immediately stopped her: "Your Highness! Wait a moment! What can we do if you go out like this!"

Zhong Muyu stopped in her tracks.

Yes, what could she do?

But her inner anxiety made her pace back and forth: "I have to think of a way... but what should I do?"

Zhong Muyu scratched her hair.

Zaochun said, "If all else fails, we can seek help from the Prince's Palace."

"The Prince's Mansion, that's it!"

Zhong Muyu rushed out and knocked on Zhang Mama's door.

Granny Zhang was startled: "Your Highness? What's wrong?"

"Granny, where is my princess dress? Pick out a formal one, or a county princess dress will do if you don't have one!"

"Your Highness, please don't worry, this old servant will find it for you right away."

As she spoke, Granny Zhang's hands never stopped, and she immediately began rummaging through chests and cabinets, finally finding a set of princess's attire.

With the help of the two men, Zhong Muyu hurriedly put on his clothes, then found a bunch of tokens and jade pendants to prove his identity, put them on his person, and left with Zaochun.

Fortunately, they had more than one horse; if they had been traveling by oxcart, they would have been driven terribly slow.

However, Zhong Muyu did not go to the Prince's Mansion, but instead went to find the Prefect.

The governor's mansion was knocked on at night. Upon hearing that it was the Princess Consort of Ling, the governor was so frightened that he lost his soul and hurriedly dressed to come out and greet her.

He had heard that the prince and princess were at odds. The princess was not currently in the palace, but she was still the princess, so he could not be negligent.

"Your humble servant greets Your Highness, Princess Consort. May I ask what brings Your Highness to visit so late at night?"

Zhong Muyu couldn't care less about anything else at this moment: "Prefect, quickly arrange for people to block the roads out of the city and the port, and prohibit any ships from leaving!"

"Why...why is this happening?"

"Take a look at this."

Zhong Muyu gestured to Zaochun to bring the seasoning mixed with gunpowder to the prefect.

The prefect examined it carefully and was suddenly shocked: "This is... gunpowder! How could the Princess Consort have this?"

"Today I noticed something strange about the ingredients cart at Xihe Restaurant, so I sent someone to steal some seasonings. We discovered that gunpowder had been mixed in. You should know how serious it is for an ordinary merchant to be hoarding gunpowder, right?"

"Your humble servant understands."

“I have already sent the Wind Guards to find the Prince ahead of us, but they already know our whereabouts. If they really have ulterior motives, then they should move the gunpowder away as soon as possible.”

The prefect listened with increasing seriousness, nodding repeatedly: "Good, good, I understand. However, suddenly sending people to block all the exits will inevitably cause panic and allow the thieves to escape in the chaos. We cannot act so rashly."

What's your plan?

Zhong Muyu was extremely anxious at this moment, because if they lingered for even a minute longer, they might escape.

The governor said, "The city's transportation relies heavily on the port, and the city gates are closed at night. In my opinion, we should control the port first."

"Anyway, hurry up and don't let them get away."

Zhong Muyu followed the prefect outside and gathered the soldiers to run towards the port.

One team went to notify the port officials, while the rest went to search Xiangmanyuan and Xihe Restaurant.

Zhong Muyu knew she couldn't be of much help, so she returned to the restaurant first, intending to secretly observe the situation there. Her restaurant had a great location; it was basically visible from the second floor.

Bright red torches pierced the night sky. Zhong Muyu only saw a group of people knock on the door of Xihe Restaurant and then go inside to search.

However, after a while, the officers and soldiers simply said they were sorry for disturbing them and then left.

They've left?

Zhong Muyu watched them leave in disbelief; the speed at which Xihe Restaurant moved its supplies was simply too fast!

I wonder what's going on at the port.

Zhong Muyu looked unwilling. At this moment, a sharp gaze from the shadows caught her attention.

There was a man standing on the street corner, but because it was too dark, she couldn't see his face clearly.

Logically, she had set the room lights very dim so the other person shouldn't have been able to see her.

However, that sharp gaze was fixed on her, sending chills down her spine.

The man exuded a powerful aura, and Zhong Muyu dared not make any rash moves. The two faced off for a while before the man turned and left.

When he stepped out of the shadows, Zhong Muyu could clearly see the mask on his face.

The mask on her face was exactly the same as the one worn by the people who held her hostage in the military camp.

Zhong Muyu was startled and rushed to the door, but there was no one in sight on the empty street.

...

The next morning, the restaurant was packed with customers again. Zhong Muyu was tidying things up at the counter when a hand appeared in her line of sight.

"Shopkeeper, do you need my help today?"

Zhong Muyu looked up abruptly and saw Chi Xuanzhu, dressed in a green robe, smiling at her.

"Mr. Chi!"

Zhong Muyu was overjoyed, as she had been worried about the restaurant's lack of manpower.

Chi Xuanzhu said, "I'm sorry, I've been very busy lately, so I haven't had time to help you."

"It's okay, it's okay. You're doing it part-time anyway, so come whenever you have time. I only got back a few days ago."

"Is Prince Ling not here?"

"He went to Ling'an County on business."

"Ling'an County..."

Chi Xuanzhu repeated thoughtfully.

Zhong Muyu asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I came to the city to sell calligraphy and paintings, but I heard something else on the way."

"What's up?"

Zhong Muyu asked curiously, as she was eager to know how the raid had gone, and was planning to go to the prefect to ask him after she finished packing.

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