The guard chosen by Pei You to take up the mountain was named Chang Houfa. His hometown was deep in the mountains. He had been traveling through the mountains with his parents since he was a child to support his family, so he had a lot of experience in moving and surviving in the mountains.
Chang Houfa suggested, "Pei Tou'er, we are not familiar with the mountains here. Why don't we go upstream along the river first and then deal with any situation we encounter."
Pei You said decisively, "Okay, I'll do as you say. You lead the way, and I'll cover the rear."
The two of them quickly went upstream along the river bank.
Based on what he had just seen of the livestock in the river, Chang Houfa roughly judged the distance in his mind, and then he focused on leading the way.
The two of them walked in silence and with great difficulty in the darkness for more than two hours.
As we walked, it was gradually getting brighter.
Although the sun has not risen yet, the surroundings are already dim and things can be seen clearly. It is not as dark as at night.
But the two people did not quicken their pace, because the road along the river became more and more difficult to walk on as they went up.
Just as Pei You was concentrating on his journey, Chang Houfa suddenly raised his hand to stop him.
"Pei Tou'er, we should be getting closer, be careful."
Pei You subconsciously tightened the dagger in his sleeve.
The two of them carefully explored the surroundings and did not encounter anyone, but they found a lot of traces of human activities.
Large areas of grass were trampled and flattened, and there was a lot of livestock excrement left on the grass.
The tender leaves and bark of many trees around showed signs of being eaten.
There are also many traces of cooking fires on the ground.
After Pei You and Chang Houfa walked around here, their faces turned pale.
To leave such a large trace, there must be a lot of people, and there must be many horses as well.
The appearance of such a team in the mountains near the capital city does not seem like a good thing!
At this time, Pei You was very glad that he had sent someone back to inform Prince Rui.
At this time, the sun had already jumped out of the horizon, and the visibility in the mountains and forests finally increased.
The two men discussed it and carefully checked the area where the gang had been stationed again, trying to find some clues.
As expected, hard work pays off. Even though those people had carefully cleaned up before leaving, the two still found a piece of iron from a horse hoof and a headscarf that must have been blown into the bushes nearby and therefore not discovered.
There are marks made by the blacksmith on the iron palm, which is a clue that can be traced.
Pei You quickly put it in his arms and put it away.
The brown headscarf looked ordinary, but the word "Ping" (Ping) was embroidered on one corner.
But for a moment, it was impossible to tell whether this was the name of the owner of the headscarf or some common symbol of this group of people.
Pei You followed the horseshoe prints and wheel tracks for a while but found no new clues.
He didn't dare follow too closely, for fear of being discovered by the group.
Pei You returned to the riverside and squatted in the bushes with Chang Houfa to discuss in a low voice.
"I feel like there must be at least a few thousand people setting up camp here to leave such a large area of traces!"
"That's probably it. They have a lot of horses, and they've eaten a lot of the grass, leaves, and bark around them." Chang Houfa asked worriedly, "Tou'er Pei, do you think they could be bandits?
"Didn't this area have a lot of bandit trouble for a while? I remember that it was Boss Ye who shot three bandit leaders with three arrows, and then he suppressed the group and finally caught them all in one fell swoop.
"Could it be that these people are the remnants of the original evil and have risen again? Are they preparing to avenge them?"
The more Chang Houfa spoke, the more worried he became. Wouldn't the Ye family be in danger?
Now Boss Ye is not in Beijing at all. What if that group of people finds Sister Ye and Young Master Qingtian to take revenge on them?
Pei You had no idea that Chang Houfa had thought so much about it.
He shook his head and said, "No, it shouldn't be bandits.
"The last time we suppressed the bandits, it was Lord Qin who personally led the troops. He is not the kind of official who would deceive his superiors and hide the truth from his subordinates. He must have wiped out all the bandits and arrested those who should have been arrested.
"Logically speaking, it's impossible for another gang of this size to form so quickly in the same place within such a short period of time."
Pei You gradually began to suspect the worst.
But this idea was too horrifying. Not to mention saying it out loud, he couldn't help but shudder just thinking about it.
"Okay, we've almost explored this place, let's go back to the village first.
"If nothing unexpected happens to Fan Yizhou, the prince should send someone here soon.
"Let's wait until there are more people before we act according to orders!"
Although he said that he would go back quickly, Pei You's steps as he went down the mountain were actually very heavy.
This place is too close to the capital.
In the entire Great Qi, there are only a few people who can store troops in such a place without being discovered, and they can only be counted on one hand.
If it is really what he thought just now, then this is definitely not a trivial matter!
If things go wrong, it could be a major event that could cause a world-shaking change.
As Pei You expected, when the two of them came down the mountain and returned to the village, Prince Rui's Mansion had indeed sent people.
But what he didn't expect was that it was Prince Rui who brought people here himself.
Pei You hurriedly took Chang Houfa forward to pay his respects.
"My Lord, why did you come here in person?"
Prince Rui, holding Qingtian in his arms, said, "I'm afraid something bad will happen. Besides, Qingtian is still here. How can I stay here? It's better for me to come here in person to put my mind at ease."
"Don't worry, I've already spoken with Lord Qin and General Ye. They will mobilize all the defenses in the capital today in the name of a drill. They will do their utmost to protect the safety of the capital and the imperial city."
Pei You heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Prince Rui say this.
He quickly reported to Prince Rui what he and Chang Houfa had discovered in the mountains, and then took out the turban and horseshoe from his arms and handed them over.
When Prince Rui heard that there was a mark on the horseshoe, he took it and looked at it, and saw that it was just the name of a blacksmith shop.
He then handed it to his men and instructed them, "Have someone make a copy of this seal and distribute it to the surrounding government offices. Find this blacksmith shop and inquire about the situation."
The subordinate took the horseshoe, agreed, and went down to make arrangements.
Prince Rui then reached out and picked up the slightly dirty headscarf, but he sat up straight as soon as he took a look at it.
"Ping? This embroidery looks familiar to me. I seem to have seen it somewhere recently, but I can't remember where it is at the moment." Prince Rui said, raising his hand to rub his forehead.
He clearly has a photographic memory, so why can't he remember such a small thing at the critical moment?
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