The capital city, where the emperor resided, was home to countless powerful officials and ministers, so its security was naturally exceptional.
There are strict curfew hours, and regular guards patrol the area all night.
After the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), dawn is not far away, and it is also the time when people sleep the most soundly, so nothing usually happens at this time.
The newly appointed leader of the Imperial Guard glanced subconsciously at the dark horizon in the distance. Unlike usual, they had a secret order that would result in the extermination of nine generations of their family if it were leaked—to keep a close watch on the Chu family's movements.
This secret order caused him endless distress.
How should I be careful?
That's Chu Jinjin. The entire patrol team combined wouldn't be enough to take her down. So what if they find out?
However, he had some understanding of the current situation and knew why the court was doing this.
With only two days left until the wedding, all we can do is pray that nothing goes wrong.
The leader of the Imperial Guard looked at the sky again, wishing it would get light immediately.
The fixed route was thus altered, and the leader of the Imperial Guard roused himself, leading his men on patrol. What they could see was precisely the direction of the Chu family.
In the future, in brightly lit metropolises, let alone a single spark, even if a fire breaks out, it might not be visible.
One of the imperial guards noticed something amiss first and whispered, "Sir, is there a fire?"
The night was so dark that every household was shrouded in darkness, and even the slightest light from a fire was barely noticeable.
The leader of the Imperial Guard narrowed his eyes.
The direction is that of the Chu family, but it cannot be confirmed that it is indeed the Chu family's direction.
Perhaps some houses caught fire, or there were other reasons.
However, this provides ample reason to get closer!
The Imperial Guard leader immediately went on alert, waving his hand and whispering, "Follow me, and don't make a sound."
It is said that the Emperor assured Chu Jinjin that no one should follow her, so as not to cause any misunderstandings.
Nowadays, Chu Jinjin is someone no one dares to mess with.
He was pondering how to explain himself should the Chu family find out when he heard his subordinates' low gasps of surprise.
"It's floating, why is the firelight floating up?"
In the dark night sky, the flames gradually grew larger and slowly rose into the air at a speed visible to the naked eye.
At this moment, everyone in the Chu family, except for Chu Jinjin and the Black Eagle Mountain bandits they had met before, was shocked.
To reiterate, knowing something and actually seeing it are two completely different kinds of shock.
To ensure safety, the first hot air balloon to take off was filled with small items and did not carry any people.
The flames grew larger and larger, and the originally soft, flat dome swelled up little by little like a sugar figurine being blown, until it became a huge hemisphere.
Only then did everyone understand why they were tied with a thick rope—the rope was taut and straight at that moment; otherwise, they would probably have already flown into the sky.
Yuan Tianyou murmured, "It really did fly."
Hot air balloons, of course, must be controlled by people.
A bandit from Black Hawk Mountain Village jumped up, checked again, and nodded to confirm that everything was correct.
The people below immediately untied the ropes.
A scene that resembled a miracle unfolded: the hot air balloon broke free of its restraints and slowly ascended. The Black Hawk Mountain bandits inside, who were among the first to receive specialized training, immediately pulled the ropes controlling the direction.
The hot air balloon changed its angle, turning towards the direction of Black Hawk Village.
Meanwhile, the flames, fueled by the wind, grew even larger, and the unseen, billowing heat also increased, causing the hot air balloon to suddenly accelerate considerably.
There wasn't much time to be shocked; such a large commotion would soon alert the Imperial Guards, who would need to fly to a safe enough altitude and distance before arriving.
The second hot ball goes to the men first.
It wasn't that the men were more important, but rather that the women unanimously decided that they were afraid of heights and wanted the men to go first.
The head of the family, Chu Jingde, was helped up first, followed by Chu Yan, and then Chu Zujian, who was carried on a stilt.
Chu Jinjin looked at Zhan Qin.
Zhan Qin looked at Yuan Tianyou and growled, "Go!"
Yuan Tianyou took a step back without warning, a delicate dagger appearing in his hand. He pressed it against his throat and said with a smile, "Miss Jinjin, let's go quickly. The Emperor has agreed on the surface that no one will be sent to keep watch, but in reality, all the Imperial Guards are on standby. They will probably arrive soon."
He discovered the hot air balloon's weakness.
The baskets carrying people underneath, the areas where flames burned, and the dome were all vulnerable to arrows.
Zhan Qin's eyes widened in fury: "Yuan Tianyou, can't you just stop making things worse?"
Yuan Tianyou slowly shook his head: "Qin'er, your father will not leave."
He lived his life for the sake of loyalty; he had already failed Zhan Qin's mother, and he could not fail the court as well.
For the sake of the people, he could choose to support Chu Jinjin, but for the court, he was guilty, and wrong is wrong, and he should be punished by law.
At my age, simply being alive is no longer the most important thing.
One must see things through to the end, and be worthy of the world and of oneself.
Chu Jinjin gestured for Zhan Qin to calm down and sighed, "Lord Yuan, why are you doing this to yourself?"
A person who is truly contemplating suicide cannot be saved, especially when the distance is so close and the dagger is pressed against the throat; even if she flew, she wouldn't have had time.
“I have done the Emperor a favor. At most, he will be furious and imprison me. He will not kill me or my family.” Yuan Tianyou smiled easily. “Besides, with Miss Jinjin here, how could he dare to kill me?”
In the struggle for the throne back then, Xiao Huai was not the first choice. Without him, there would be no Xiao Huai today. That was a contribution greater than anything else. No matter what, Xiao Huai would never have the heart to kill him.
Of course, his fate won't be much better.
Then there's Chu Jinjin.
Her journey to the Northern Desert remains a significant deterrent as long as no final outcome is reached.
Yuan Tianyou retreated step by step, slowly saying each word: "I hope Miss Jinjin will not let my efforts be in vain. You must eliminate the zombies and the Northern Desert army."
For the first time, tears welled up in Zhan Qin's eyes: "Yuan Tianyou, what if I forgive you?"
Yuan Tianyou stopped in his tracks, his smile silent, a smile of unprecedented satisfaction.
This is what he should do.
Just then, a sharp whistle suddenly pierced the sky.
Everyone looked towards the palace.
Yuan Tianyou shouted, "Hurry up, the Imperial Guards are coming!"
That was the alarm whistle.
Chu Jinjin gave him a deep look, then without further hesitation, forcibly pulled Zhan Qin onto the hot air balloon. Needless to say, the rest of the people immediately got busy but orderly, lining up and jumping onto the hot air balloon with trepidation.
Liu's body was trembling; she had a severe fear of heights. Jinjin grabbed her daughter's arm.
The first hot air balloon had risen high enough to float in the air, flames burning brightly, like an unreal dream.
"Is anyone still missing?" Chu Jinjin glanced around, confirming that everyone was there, and said in a low voice, "Let's go."
They couldn't just think about their families; there were also the Black Hawk Mountain bandits who had come to help. The hot air balloon couldn't carry that many people, so they had to leave before the Imperial Guards arrived.
The sound of hurried, forceful footsteps drew rapidly closer.
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