Chapter 376 The Road Ahead is Difficult
Magistrate Liu excitedly grasped Village Chief Liu's hand, "Village Chief, no, Uncle, do you know which direction they went?"
The village chief chuckled awkwardly. "I don't know about that. But they were heading in the direction of Dayan, weren't they?"
Seeing that Magistrate Liu's expression was about to change, he immediately added, "That old lady is too old to ride a fast horse. When she leaves the village, the guard leads the horse."
"Besides, that old lady looks like a pampered person, she definitely can't travel at night."
"All things considered, they've only covered less than half a day's journey. We might still be able to catch up now."
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Liu immediately perked up, released Village Chief Liu's hand, and went to arrange for people to track down the whereabouts of Min Qiaoshi and her two companions.
***
The three members of the Min family were originally planning to enter the city, but they saw a long queue forming at the city gate from afar. There were also twice as many soldiers guarding the city gate as in other places. They immediately realized something was wrong.
"Take a detour." Madam Min glanced in the direction of the city gate and whispered to the old woodcutter.
Old Woodcutter said with difficulty, "We've been taking detours these past two days, but I'm afraid we can't get around this county town."
"Why is that?" Madam Min asked curiously. "It's just a matter of traveling a few more days. Is there some other way to avoid it?"
The old woodcutter sighed, "This county town is surrounded by mountains on both sides. The only way to get to Dayan is to go through the town."
Madam Min frowned. "Is there really no other way?"
The old woodcutter said bitterly, "If we don't go into the city and pass through here, then we'll have to turn back and return from where the accident happened."
Needless to say, Madam Min knew that this approach was not feasible.
Now even this small county town, far from the scene of the incident, has been placed under martial law, so one can only imagine the situation at the scene of the incident.
After thinking it over, Madam Min Qiao made a decision.
"Let's find a small village nearby to stay in first. Once we've found out more about the situation, we'll figure out a way to get into the city."
"That's all we can do," the old woodcutter nodded helplessly.
I really have no objections.
The three of them turned their horses around and headed away from the city gate.
The three of them found a village nearby. After entering the village, they knocked on the door of the first house at the entrance.
This time, all three members of the Min family were dressed in traditional Chinese clothing, and their carriage was relatively inconspicuous. They also claimed that they were traveling from the border to Xijing to visit relatives and friends, thus managing to cover up the issue of their accents.
The family's surname is Zhang. The man in charge is in his forties and looks honest and simple.
He has an elderly mother who is nearly sixty years old, a wife who is lame, and two sons who are both married with children. Now the whole family lives together in a cramped space.
When he saw someone coming to ask for lodging, Old Zhang wanted to refuse without even thinking.
However, upon seeing the two taels of silver that the old woodcutter had taken out, he immediately became at a loss.
He desperately wanted money, but there simply weren't enough rooms in the house for them to live in.
Just as Old Zhang was struggling with his dilemma, his limping wife smiled and took the silver, welcoming the three of them into the courtyard.
Old Zhang's wife asked her two sons to stay at their uncle's house, and her two daughters-in-law and children squeezed into one room, making room for Min Qiao's three children.
Madam Min didn't mind, and she and Huanzhen stayed in the room.
As for the old woodcutter, he decided to spend the night in the carriage.
Nothing was said that night.
The next morning, the old woodcutter set off on horseback, intending to go into the city alone to gather information.
Because he had already reported this matter to Madam Min the night before, he did not bother her again when he left the next day.
By the time Min Qiaoshi and Zhen Huan got up and ate the breakfast prepared by Zhang's lame wife, the old woodcutter had already entered the county town.
"Have you heard? The princess sent by the Great Yan Dynasty for a marriage alliance was killed by bandits! They're searching everywhere for the murderer!"
"No wonder the checks for entering and leaving the city have been so strict these past two days. So that's why."
"Wait a minute, shouldn't the task of catching a murderer be to suppress bandits and mountain thieves? Why are they checking passersby? It doesn't look like they're catching a murderer; it looks more like they're looking for someone."
"Shh! Keep your voice down! It's said that the princess sent by the Great Yan Dynasty for a marriage alliance has gone missing, and they're searching for her everywhere."
"That's right. So now the court is hoping to find Princess Dayan as soon as possible. If Princess Dayan is still alive, at least there is room for negotiation between the two sides. Otherwise... tsk tsk."
"Oh dear, looks like a fight is about to break out!"
"Alas, if war really breaks out, the common people will suffer again."
"Well, who can argue with that?"
...
Old Qiao sat at a breakfast stall, eating wontons and listening to the conversations of the people around him.
Things unfolded exactly as he had predicted.
Da Xi indeed began searching for Princess Xi He.
If nothing unexpected happens, the old lady and the King of Chu are also on the list that the Great Shrimp is looking for.
He now only hopes that Lao Liu can kill the person before Da Lu Ren finds Min Pan'er.
After leaving the breakfast stall, the old woodcutter made a special trip to the East Gate.
If they want to return to Dayan, they must enter through the west gate and exit through the east gate.
The checks at the East Gate were even stricter than those at the West Gate!
He deliberately staked out the area for half an hour, observing carefully. He then discovered that the soldiers were particularly strict with teenage girls during their checks, and even stricter with teenage girls who were with elderly women.
Several pairs of grandmothers and grandchildren who left the city together were taken away immediately.
It seems they'd rather arrest the wrong person than let one go!
The old woodcutter couldn't help but frown slightly.
At noon, the old woodcutter bought two roast chickens, two pork hocks, and two catties of good wine, and took them back to the Zhang family.
Upon seeing so many wonderful things, Zhang's wife's eyes narrowed into slits with joy.
Just tell them to stay as long as they want, don't be shy.
After Zhang's wife took the things to the kitchen, Min Qiaoshi asked about the situation outside.
The old woodcutter briefly recounted the news from the city before saying with concern, "It might not be easy for us to leave the city."
Madam Min thought for a moment and said nonchalantly, "There's nothing to worry about. The three of us can just split up and meet up again once we're out of the city."
"no!"
No sooner had Madam Min finished speaking than both Zhen Huan and Lao Qiao refused in unison.
"Grandmother, how can we let you go alone? What if something happens to you?"
There are definitely a thousand, ten thousand disagreements.
Old Woodcutter also felt that this move was too dangerous.
"Do you have any other ideas?" Madam Min looked at the two of them and reminded them, "Don't forget, the longer this drags on, the more serious the situation will become."
"It will be even more difficult to leave the city then."
The two tried to persuade her further, but Madam Min Qiao made a firm decision, "It's settled then. We'll leave after lunch. It would be best if we could get out of the city before dark."
***
Just as Min Qiao and her two companions were discussing how to cross the city and borrow a route, the King of Chu and his entourage had already crossed the border and returned to Dayan before the Da'e border was sealed off.
News of the attack on the marriage procession, the robbery of the princess's dowry, the complete annihilation of the wedding party, and the unknown fate of Princess Xihe also reached the capital.
Within three days, the news had spread throughout the entire territory of Dayan.
The people of Dayan were outraged and vowed to demand an explanation from Da'e.
In his fury, Emperor Xiaozhao decided not to send envoys or deliver official letters, but to directly announce to the world that Dayan had decided to wage war against Dahe to seek justice for Princess Xihe and to defend the dignity of Dayan!
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