The atmosphere in the whole city was weird at this time!

No one was staying in the usually bustling streets anymore. After the gong sounded in the quiet street, everyone hid in their houses.

In the streets and alleys, there were only teams of running soldiers and galloping cavalry.

From a distance, you could hear the sound of someone banging on the door; it was the team entering the house to search.

There were people coming and going in the Qi Mansion, and the servants who were usually kept were organizing their weapons, such as swords, short spears, and poison needles.

Qi Kexian also changed into a neat set of clothes. If he couldn't rescue Qi Heng today, he would first hide in the grassland and encourage the Di Lu tribe to attack Hecheng.

He then informed his relatives in the capital and submitted a memorial saying that Zhao Tinglei was colluding with the Di tribe, massacring imperial merchants and planning a rebellion.

With the support of the Crown Princess and the Imperial Noble Consort, this matter cannot be resolved peacefully even though Zhao Yanjiao is now the Duke of Anguo.

The Dilu grasslands have always been a thorn in the side of the Wu Dynasty.

How to keep the tiger company is what the emperor wants to find out.

The Qi family used the Shang Dynasty to deal with the Dilu tribe, which was also a means of seeking peace.

If the whole city were in chaos and Xishi Pass was lost, the newly enthroned emperor would have a headache.

But before that, Qi Kexian must remove himself completely.

Qi Heng and others must be found, regardless of life or death.

The group of people in the old mountain forest of the other courtyard must also be sent out quickly. If they fall into the hands of the Zhenbei Army, there will be no way to clear themselves.

"Master, the group of people from the other courtyard left Hecheng half an hour ago and have passed Xishi Pass!" someone came to report.

Qi Kexian nodded, feeling a little relieved.

As soon as Qi Heng disappeared, he asked someone to notify the other courtyard and let Lao Shanlin and his group leave Hecheng through the secret passage, and then find the route he had already taken to get out.

As long as no one is caught red-handed, he is not afraid of the garrison's search.

As for Qi Heng... he believed that his nephew was smart and knew what he could and could not say better than he did.

The Qi family has been operating in Hecheng for decades, so it is very easy for them to find out things.

Only after the initial panic did he know everything that happened inside and outside the restaurant.

Even the truth about Qi Heng's bizarre affairs was revealed.

Although the process is not very clear, when the third master of the Qi family disappeared, someone saw a noble lady from the Dilu family jumping from a private room into a carriage. The carriage was picked up by the Zhenbei Army in the city and directly left the city and entered the military camp outside the city.

This is clearly a route designed to take hostages.

It also clearly indicates that Qi Heng is in the hands of the Zhenbei Army, and what the whole city is searching for now is nothing more than those evidences.

No matter how powerful the Qi family is, they cannot infiltrate the Zhenbei military camp. Even if they know that Qi Heng is inside, they are powerless.

Only in the garrison, which was so densely covered with spies that it looked like a sieve, could the positions of Lin Qingyuan and the other two be clearly known.

But now Lin Qingyuan is under strict protection and the spies cannot get close to him.

There is another person who makes Qi Kexian angry and whom he wants most, and that is the "noble lady of the Di tribe"!

Now the noble lady Di Lu is also in the garrison, and it is a small courtyard with only a few maids.

He didn't know if this was a bait Zhao Tinglei had deliberately left behind, or if it had some other meaning...

In any case, this noble lady from Dilu is the key to Qi Heng's disappearance.

And those two censors from the Censorate...

As time passed, another night fell, and the whole city was still brightly lit.

Some people were dragged out of the house crying, while others tried to escape but were quickly caught.

Although this rigorous search came suddenly, the Zhenbei Army, who were used to obeying orders and were well-trained, regarded it as just a bloodless military training operation.

But soon they were no longer able to relax.

There were more than 20 bodies in an ordinary house, and the blood on them had not yet dried. This was also the key search area.

Urgent whistles sounded everywhere in the city!

In the garrison, Zhao Tinglei kept assigning people.

Because I missed Song Liyun's visiting invitation the night before, it was a bit sudden to deal with it now.

Fortunately, the Zhenbei Army has always been under his command, and he can command the army of several thousand people at will.

In just one hour, the security at Xishi Pass was upgraded, the checkpoints were closed, and people were prohibited from moving.

There is a guard post every three steps and a sentry every five steps in the city, making it difficult for some people to escape even if they have wings. This is what Zhao Tinglei has wanted to do for a long time.

In the past, he was only a captain of the Zhenbei Army. The old emperor hinted that the local government was not in harmony with the Zhenbei Army.

The Yunzhou garrison and the Hecheng government had no other relationship except for the unpleasantness over the demands for military supplies and food wages.

Now that Zhao Tinglei is the garrison commander, he is restricted by the Qi family in every way. They are in collusion with all the merchants in the city and are like an iron wall, so he cannot interfere.

But today is different. Qi Heng is missing, and the Qi family is in chaos. The Qi family is looking for someone, and the Zhenbei Army is taking the opportunity to look for someone as well.

Moreover, dozens of hangers-on were caught in the restaurant during the day, catching all the merchants in the city, who were originally connected with each other, off guard.

In a short period of time, the Zhenbei Army conducted a carpet search of half of the city.

Song Liyun leaned against the window and watched what was happening outside.

The Anhua Courtyard where she lived was not just one courtyard, but consisted of several independent courtyards, which were prepared by the garrison for officials who came and went on official business.

Two of the Censors of the Censorate also lived here.

Only separated by a wall, the noise outside could be heard in Anhua Courtyard, and the maids and servants were all very nervous.

In Song Liyun's room, a maid had come over twice to ask if she wanted tea, and a servant had come over twice to add lamp oil.

When the maid came in for the third time to ask if Song Liyun wanted to have a midnight snack, Song Liyun stopped her and said, "What do you want for midnight snack?"

The maid was stunned for a moment before she replied, "There's usually porridge heating up on the stove at this hour!"

Song Liyun raised her eyebrows. He asked if I wanted to have a midnight snack, but he didn't know what it was. How strange!

She waved her hand: "No need for midnight snack, go down! I want to go to bed!"

As he spoke, he walked from the window to the bedroom and lowered the curtains.

Seeing this, the maid turned around and went out, without even turning, and ran straight to the second gate.

In the room, Song Liyun blew out the candles, took off her coat and hung it on the head of the bed, then took out a roll of sheepskin from the space and placed it in the quilt, pretending to be sleeping.

After she was done, she lay down at the foot of the bed and took out the invisible cloth to wrap herself up.

It was late at night and everyone was still. Lying close to the ground, the sounds outside were even clearer.

Only a cup of tea had passed when a series of footsteps were heard from outside. They stopped at the door and hesitated for a moment before using a knife to pry open the bolt.

In the dim moonlight, Song Liyun saw a pair of black boots slowly approaching the bed.

Before the person could see what was on the bed, Song Liyun had already quietly put a rope around the person's ankles from under the bed.

"Hua" was the sound of the quilt being lifted up. The man felt something was wrong when he saw a roll of sheepskin under the quilt, and he quickly pulled away.

But... after taking only two steps, his feet tightened and he suddenly fell to the ground.

Song Liyun did not even remove the invisible cloth, but rolled out from under the bed, swung the axe in her hand and hit the man on the forehead.

The man was so dizzy from the fall that he saw a gray mass rolling out from under the bed. Before he could even scream, a black stick came straight at his face.

All this happened in the blink of an eye, and the man's brain was smashed to pieces.

Song Liyun did not move anyone, but listened carefully first. When there was no movement outside, she looked carefully at the person who tried to kidnap her.

He was a middle-aged man, dressed like an official, and seemed to be a staff member of the garrison.

hehe!

Add to that the maid and the servant just now, this garrison is really a sieve!