Behind them, a man who looked like an officer was riding a horse, looking the three of them up and down.
Then, he jumped off his horse, holding several portraits in his hands. He glanced at Yuan Zhao and the others with a sharp gaze and asked in a cold voice, "Raise your heads!"
Although Yuan Qi Yu was young, he had already learned how to read people's expressions along the way. Hearing this, he straightened up obediently and stood beside Yuan Zhao without saying a word.
Yuan Nan'an clenched his fists, pursed his lips, and glanced at the soldiers quietly. His fingers unconsciously rested on his waist, ready to deal with any emergency at any time.
Yuan Zhao took a deep breath and slowly raised his head.
Her face was covered with thick scabs that had been painted on her face long ago. The scars spread from her forehead to the side of her face, covering up most of her original appearance and leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.
The soldier narrowed his eyes and compared the portrait in his hand with Yuan Zhao's face one by one, frowning slightly, seeming a little hesitant.
Yuan Zhao's eyes swept across the paintings inconspicuously. Even with just a glance, she immediately recognized who was in the paintings.
It was her, as well as Yuan Musheng, Yuan Nan'an, Yuan Qiyu and... Yuan Zhizhi.
Not one left behind!
Yuan Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly to make sure he was not mistaken.
Why did her and her children’s paintings appear in Beiqiang?
The officers and soldiers took the painting and compared it repeatedly with Yuan Zhao and the two children, but they still couldn't find any flaws.
Seeing this, Zhou Shan immediately stepped forward, hunched over, looking like a timid merchant.
He took the opportunity to stand in front of Yuan Zhao and tried his best to resolve the awkwardness.
He stuffed a bulging bag with the officer and soldier, and interrupted with a smile,
"Sir, this is a gift to you, please keep it!"
The officer looked down at the bag, snorted coldly, and took back the portrait.
"You're lucky, I'll let you go!"
Zhou Shan quickly turned around and said to Yuan Zhao,
"Boss, let's hurry up and get going. The herbs at the back need to be delivered on time."
Yuan Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, calmed himself down, pulled his two children, lowered his head and quickly caught up with the caravan, slowly passed through the city gate and entered Xiaoyue City.
After entering the city gate and making sure they were out of the sight of the officers and soldiers, she took her two children and got into the carriage.
At the same time, he gave Mo Yu a look.
Mo Yu understood and quietly left the caravan.
In Xiaoyue City, the streets were deserted than ever before. Patrolling soldiers could be seen everywhere, and the air was filled with tension.
Yuan Zhao looked grave and lowered his voice, and instructed Zhou Shan beside him,
"Let's find a place to rest for a while and get some information."
Zhou Shan nodded, led the carriage, and slowly drove into the city.
The group found a teahouse in the city to rest.
Yuan Zhao and her two children had disguised themselves in advance. Because she was holding a child in each hand, no one else paid much attention to her.
Just treat her as an ordinary woman.
They sat in a corner and ordered a simple meal to fill Yuan Qiyu and Yuan Nan'an's stomachs.
Yuan Zhao just listened quietly to the conversation of the people in the teahouse.
"Hey, have you heard? I heard there's a new addition to the king's harem..."
"I heard that many of the eight major clans have been sending beauties there non-stop. Now the palace is probably almost full!"
"How can there not be enough accommodation? The late king's harem had many more beauties than this... Oh, not the late king, but the late late king..."
"Alas... I shouldn't say this, but life is tough right now..."
"Yeah, you say everyone is saying that he's cruel and ruthless, but when he was around, at least he didn't do anything to us ordinary people..."
"Indeed, those who need to do business should do business. With the Eagle Guard here, there are fewer evildoers in the city, and we can live in peace."
"Exactly! Besides, he only wanted to kill the corrupt officials, and there weren't many people in the harem. At most, he just built the Zhaixing Tower... But now, not only is there another war, it's even difficult for us to leave the city!"
There was a joyful sound of laughter in the teahouse. After three rounds of drinks, the men began to chat more and more boldly, without any scruples in their conversation.
"That's enough! Shut up! It's no small matter if someone hears us!"
"Tsk! You're so petty! I scolded that guy before, but the Eagle Guards never did anything to me..."
Before he could finish his words, the door of the teahouse was kicked open with a bang, and a team of guards in solemn military armor suddenly rushed in.
His steps were steady and his aura was imposing. The cold light of the unsheathed sword made the teahouse silent in an instant.
Before the men could react, they were quickly restrained by the guards. Their hands were handcuffed behind their backs and they were forced to kneel on the ground. Their knees hit the ground with a dull thud and cold sweat instantly covered their foreheads.
"Let...let me go! I haven't done anything wrong!" someone struggled and shouted.
The leading officer's eyes were like knives. He glanced around coldly and said in a cold tone. Without hesitation, he crossed the blade of his knife across the neck of one of them. The sound was like thunder.
"How dare you! Anyone who talks about the king will be punished by death!"
The diners in the teahouse were already trembling with fear at the sight of this scene. They dared not utter a word and lowered their heads, pretending to ignore everything in front of them, for fear of being implicated.
The people kneeling on the ground were pale and trembling all over. One of them was trying to beg for mercy with trembling lips.
"Sir, we are just chatting casually. We have no intention of disrespecting you. Please have mercy on us..."
"Hmph!" The leading officer snorted coldly, a ruthless look flashed in his eyes, and he exerted a little force on his wrist, bringing the blade an inch closer. He said coldly,
"Those who don't control their words should pay the price!"
After saying that, the guards dragged those people out without saying a word.
The teahouse was dead silent.
Seeing this, Yuan Qiyu clenched his fists slightly. Yuan Nan'an, who was standing beside him, was already filled with anger and was holding the sword at his waist, ready to make a move.
Yuan Zhao held her down and gave her a reassuring look.
Just as she was about to signal the secret guards around her, another "bang" was heard from the teahouse.
"What are you arguing about! I finally came out to have some tea and you guys ruined my fun!"
A woman's voice came from upstairs, breaking the silence of the teahouse.
When Yuan Nan'an heard the voice, his eyes suddenly lit up and he looked towards the corner of the stairs.
The ones standing there were Jingyang and Xuezhu.
The guards stopped when they saw Yang Yang, and the leader saluted him.
"Greetings, Princess Wang!"
He was perfunctory and did things in a perfunctory manner.
Jing Yang just gave Xue Zhu a cold look, and Xue Zhu immediately kicked the guard on the knee.
"How dare you, a mere guard, be disrespectful to the princess?"
Xuezhu looked delicate, but she was also well-trained, and this kick sent the guard to the ground.
A group of guards knelt down hurriedly. The leader was caught off guard and there was still disbelief in his eyes as he fell to the ground.
He wanted to say something, but he couldn't say it in front of Jingyang.
He could only kneel upright and bow deeply to her, "Greetings, Princess! Princess, please forgive me!"
There was a flicker of resentment in his eyes.
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