Chapter 40 Escape

"Why did those men in black kill us?" Chen Yu was still shaken, tears welling up in her eyes. How could ordinary villagers encounter such a thing? Her heart was with Jiang Wanrou: "Will my aunt and the others be alright?" Her eyes were fixed on Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu was also unsure. She couldn't panic at this moment; she had to stay calm. She quickly reassured him, "Maybe they killed the wrong person. They'll leave once they realize it."

Even I don't quite believe this reason myself.

Chen Yu sniffed and responded softly, "Mmm." Her gaze fell on Song Luoning, whose brows were slightly furrowed but whose expression was calm, which reassured her somewhat.

Fortunately, Chen Yu believed it.

Xiao Yu breathed a sigh of relief: "Don't worry, let's go ahead and take a look first."

Song Luoning pursed her lips and lowered her eyes: "Yes, thank you for your hard work, husband."

"Alright, everyone sit down. We're on our way now." Xiao Yu turned the carriage around, cracked the whip, and the horse galloped off, the shadows of the trees flashing past, and a cloud of dust rising in the distance.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was unusually silent. Both women were preoccupied with their own thoughts. Song Luoning sat upright, leaning against the carriage wall, her eyes watching the fleeting spots of light through the window. Chen Yu's heart was clenched, and she kept glancing at Song Luoning out of the corner of her eye, her heart filled with anxiety: "Sister-in-law, do you think Aunt and the others will be alright?"

She still felt uneasy until she saw that her aunt and the little girl were safe and sound. Her aunt had raised her from childhood and was no different from her own mother. If it weren't for her...

Chen Yu clenched her fists; she couldn't forgive herself.

“My mother-in-law is a lucky person, she will be fine.” Song Luoning lowered her eyes and said after a moment of silence.

"Yes, sister-in-law is right." Song Luoning's words were like the last straw, which she grasped tightly in her hand.

Song Luoning pursed her lips, outwardly calm but inwardly uneasy. Her gaze shifted to Chen Yu, who had her eyes closed, hands clasped together in front of her chest, muttering something under her breath. Her fingers curled up for a long time as she murmured, "It will be alright." It was as if she were comforting Chen Yu, or perhaps speaking to herself.

The carriage had been speeding along for an unknown amount of time when it stopped outside a post station. Xiao Yu pushed open the carriage door, and the two of them looked up at the same time: "Wife, there's a post station over here. I'll go down and ask around. You two sit here and don't move."

"Okay," Song Luoning nodded, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes: "Be careful, husband."

Xiao Yu jumped off the carriage and entered the post station. The post station was relatively remote, and the courtyard was quiet. He did not see anyone else. Thinking of his previous experience, Xiao Yu's heart tightened. He slowly approached and pushed open the door.

The room was equally quiet; there wasn't a soul in sight.

Xiao Yu breathed a sigh of relief and quietly walked in.

At this moment, a man dressed as a waiter looked up from behind the counter. Xiao Yu was startled, but after seeing clearly, she breathed a sigh of relief, her palms sweating.

The waiter, annoyed at being woken up, stretched and came out from behind the counter, looking her over: "If you want to stay or have a meal, go somewhere else. Didn't you see this is an inn? It only serves officials."

She was naturally familiar with post stations, places used in ancient times for delivering letters and for officials to rest.

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "Brother, you've misunderstood. I'm here to ask for directions." As he spoke, he took out a tael of silver from his pocket and handed it to the waiter.

The waiter's eyes lit up immediately. He quickly put the silver in his mouth and bit it, then put on a smiling face and asked, "Where would you like to go, sir?"

Xiao Yu: "I come from Linyang County and am on my way to the capital to visit relatives. I have gotten lost here. Could you please show me the way? I would be very grateful."

"Are you going to the capital, sir?" the waiter raised his voice, his gaze sweeping over her.

Xiao Yu immediately had a bad feeling, her heart jumped, and she pretended to be calm, asking, "Is there a problem?" Her confidence was clearly lacking.

The waiter looked away and explained, "It's not a problem. If you're from Linyang County, you've gone the wrong way. This is the border of Baisheng. If you go any further, you'll reach the Southern Ling Kingdom."

"..."

Did we go the wrong way?

Xiao Yu was both amused and exasperated, realizing that the road she had been rushing for so long had actually been in the wrong direction.

The waiter continued, "But sir, there's no need to worry. Going around those two mountains will take you to the capital. That's ten days closer than going through the pipes. The only downside is that the mountain roads are difficult to navigate, and you might encounter bandits. If you're not in a hurry, it's safer to go through the pipes."

The road was difficult to travel, and there was a risk of encountering bandits, any of whom could be deadly. Xiao Yuzai wasn't stupid, so he decided to turn back the way he came.

"Hey waiter, could I pack some dry food here?" Xiao Yu asked.

In this desolate wilderness, how long it would take to reach the county town was a question, not to mention they hadn't eaten for half a day.

The waiter didn't say anything, but went to the kitchen and got Xiao Yu a few steamed buns.

Xiao Yu thanked the waiter and got into the carriage: "Wife..." He hesitated, feeling a little embarrassed.

What would the young lady think if she knew they had taken the opposite route?

They must feel they did a poor job.

"Have you found out the truth, my lord?" Song Luoning's clear and melodious voice came from the carriage.

Xiao Yu looked up at the sky and hummed in agreement. After a moment, she pushed open the carriage door and handed them the steamed buns. "I've found out everything, it's just..."

Xiao Yu touched his nose, feeling a little guilty, and looked away.

Song Luoning frowned, and Chen Yu's heart clenched as well, her ears perked up.

“Well…” Xiao Yu took a deep breath: “It seems we’ve gone the wrong way. The waiter just said that if we keep going forward, we’ll reach the Southern Ling Kingdom.”

Xiao Yu's face flushed slightly: "Should we go back the way we came, or take another route?"

Song Luoning's breath hitched, and she looked up at Xiao Yu: "What do you mean by taking a different route, husband?"

Xiao Yu then told her what the waiter had just said.

“My wife, I think it’s safer for us to go back the way we came. The mountain road is not only difficult to travel, but more importantly, there are bandits. Although it’s a bit longer to take the official road, it will be relatively safer,” Xiao Yu said.

Song Luo Ning remained silent. Since those people had already laid ambushes on the official road, they certainly wouldn't let the mountain road go unchecked either. Moreover, besides the ambushes, there were also some unknown dangers on the mountain road. The people her father had sent to protect them were also on the official road at this moment.

Song Luoning nodded: "It's fine if my husband decides."

Xiao Yu: "Okay, you guys eat something first. We should be safe once we get to the county town."

Once again on the road, the carriage traveled along the wide road. When passing through Linyang County, Xiao Yu did not enter the city, but instead followed a caravan of merchants directly into Qingzhou.

Compared to Linyang County, Qingzhou City was relatively more prosperous, so Xiao Yu chose to stay at Mingpinlou, the largest restaurant in the city.

The main reason for choosing this place is that Mingpinlou is not only the largest restaurant in Baisheng, but also the owner's wife is the daughter of a former prime minister. With such a background, it's always more reassuring to stay here.

Xiao Yu jumped off the carriage: "My lady, it's getting late. Let's rest for the night before continuing our journey."

Song Luoning pushed open the carriage door and looked up to see the three characters "Mingpinlou". She understood immediately and smiled.

It seems this lecherous fellow isn't a fool after all.

Xiao Yu asked for two superior rooms, and the three of them went back to their rooms to rest.

"My lady, would you like to take a bath?" Xiao Yu put down her bundle and poured herself a cup of tea. She had been living in fear the whole way, and only now did she feel like she was alive again.

"Yes, thank you for your trouble, husband." Song Luoning responded indifferently, walked to the bedside and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking somewhat absent-minded.

She needed to find the person her father had sent, but there was no one available at the moment. She hadn't left any contact information with that person when they parted ways. Although they seemed to be out of danger, Qingzhou was the fiefdom of the Prince of Chang. If they found out they were here, they might not be able to leave Qingzhou.

Not long after, the waiter brought hot water, and Xiao Yu found a clean set of clothes and came out: "Wife, I'm going to the bathroom to shower, you can shower in the room." He then took the clothes and went out.

Song Luoning looked up at the closed door, sighed softly after a moment, and got up to take a bath.

When Xiao Yu returned, the two ordered food and prepared to eat in their room. Chen Yu was probably tired, so she didn't come out for dinner.

At night, after turning off the lights, Xiao Yu lay in bed and carefully thought through the events of the day.

She didn't belong to this world. She was wrongly accused and inexplicably assassinated. If I'm not mistaken, those men in black during the day were clearly after her.

The fight was going well until they saw her, then the men in black turned and slashed at her. If she hadn't dodged quickly, she would probably be a pile of minced meat by now.

What a coincidence! According to the original owner's memories, the farthest place she went was a town; she had never even been to the county seat. So why did those people want to kill her?

Unless the original owner had some unspeakable secret, Xiao Yu couldn't understand why there wasn't a single clue in the original owner's memories.

Since it's certain that the men in black were after the original owner, then her adoptive mother and the others should be fine. On the contrary, if she went to the capital, she might just be walking into a trap.

She doesn't want to die yet, and she doesn't know if it's too late to run away.

If you're going to run away, you absolutely have to take the young lady with you. Of course, you can't take Chen Yu with you. If you're going to run away, you have to do it secretly.

After pondering for a while, Xiao Yu turned to face Song Luo Ning. In the darkness, he could only see a blurry outline. He lowered his voice and whispered, "Wife, wife."

Song Luoning frowned. Why was she being called out so late at night? Her heart clenched, but she pretended to be calm and turned to look at her: "What's wrong? Can't you sleep?"

How could anyone fall asleep at a time like this?

After considering it for a moment, Xiao Yu tentatively said, "Wife, let's escape. I saw it today. Although those men in black didn't seem to have good intentions, they shouldn't be a match for Captain Liang. My mother and the others should be alright. I'm worried that if we go any further into the city, we'll be in danger. Why don't we escape?"

escape?

Song Luoning was startled. She never expected that this lecherous man was already planning to escape. If she let him get away, how could she explain it to her father? In the letter, her father had instructed her to bring Xiao Yu to the capital no matter what, and had also informed her of the dangers they would encounter.

Although I don't understand why my father insisted on bringing Xiao Yu to the capital, and the eighth and ninth points are related to the rice hulling tool, why did the Prince of Chang's men want to kill Xiao Yu?

Is it just because she doesn't get along with her father?

This was supposed to be a good thing for the country and its people, but Song Luoning felt a pang of sadness.

After a long while, Xiao Yu waited anxiously for Song Luo Ning to speak. He wondered if the young lady would refuse to come with him. His eyes were fixed on Song Luo Ning's blurry face.

Song Luoning pondered for a moment, then said calmly, "Have you considered what will happen to us after we escape? You are currently a fugitive. All land under heaven belongs to the king. Unless you leave Baisheng, you will be a fugitive no matter where you go. Without identification documents, you cannot enter the city, cannot stay in an inn, and even in the future..."