You Shuyao arrived at Hongfu Inn and inquired about the events of that night from the waiter. The waiter recounted the whole story with great enthusiasm, and she finally gained a general understanding of what happened afterward.
Fortunately, Qi escaped using a smoke bomb after the assassination attempt failed, and did not fall into Huo Jingsha's hands.
It's good news that Qi is still alive, but she can't stay at the Huo residence anymore. Not only does she not want to have anything to do with Huo Jingsha anymore, but just the fact that she disobeyed the assassination order and saved Huo Jingsha's life means the organization won't let her off easily.
Staying in the Huo mansion, even if you don't die at the hands of the Huo family, your life is always in danger.
After leaving Hongfu Inn, she walked down the street with her head down. Before coming, she had specially found a place to disguise herself. Now she was only wearing ordinary people's coarse cloth clothes, covering her long hair, and her face was also painted a little dark, just like an inconspicuous village woman, so she would not attract attention.
Since giving up the assassination attempt on Huo Jingsha, she has been paving the way for the future. For example, she had already found an opportunity to hide this outfit and simple package in a corner of the side courtyard, thinking that it would be of some use if she could leave the Huo family one day. Now it has come in handy.
With a small bundle slung over her shoulder, she decided to leave the city immediately. Because of her injuries, she couldn't exert too much effort walking, and also to save time, she hailed an oxcart, paid the driver a few taels of silver, and asked him to take her out of the city and then head south.
If she remembered correctly, there was a dock a few miles south of the city where one could take a boat south.
The oxcart traveled slowly for only a quarter of an hour before suddenly stopping.
You Shuyao lifted the carriage curtain, frowned, and asked the driver, "Old man, why are we stopping?"
The driver, a middle-aged man in his fifties, turned around and said with difficulty, "Miss, it's not that I don't want to go, but there are Imperial Guards investigating a case ahead. They've set up checkpoints at the intersection and are checking household registers one by one. I'm afraid we'll have to wait a while."
Judging from the old man's tone, he seemed to be used to such things.
You Shuyao, however, could not remain calm. Upon hearing the words "Jinyiwei," her expression immediately changed.
"Old man, I have an urgent matter. Could you please take another route? I'll give you an extra tael of silver."
"Good, good, good!" Upon hearing this, the driver immediately put the pipe he was about to take a few puffs of back into his pocket, turned the cart around, and walked into an alley.
The oxcart twisted and turned, passing through several streets, before encountering several other oxcarts. They seemed to be fellow villagers of the driver, so the driver stopped and spoke a few words with them before turning back to tell her.
“Young lady, my fellow villager said that the city gates are sealed today. I heard that the Imperial Guards are arresting wanted criminals and no one can leave this year. It seems you will have to find a place to wait.”
You Shuyao's face darkened suddenly, but she still took out some loose silver and handed it to the old man as promised. "If that's the case, then forget it. I'll figure something out myself." She got off the oxcart, didn't ask the old man for change, and walked away with her bundle on her back.
The situation was worse than she had imagined. Even when she was in the crowd, she could still see many Imperial Guards coming and going, and the people around her were whispering and discussing it.
"Why are so many Imperial Guards suddenly appearing? Are they going to raid some official's house again?" someone asked.
"How can you wander around the streets while someone is confiscating property? I heard that Lord Huo is capturing fugitives."
"A fugitive? Someone he caught still managed to escape? That's quite an achievement."
"I don't know, but it seems they're looking for a woman. All the main roads in the city are blocked, and now anyone entering or leaving the city gates has to be thoroughly questioned. A large number of Imperial Guards are checking them one by one."
"Yes, yes, yes, I heard from the shop assistant who was going out of the city to pick up goods that all four city gates are heavily guarded by the Imperial Guards, especially those leaving the city, they practically strip them bare to check them!" Several commoners chattered excitedly, and every word they said reached You Shuyao's ears.
Her heart pounded with fear. She had only been away from the Huo residence for a short time, yet Huo Jingsha had already sent people to seal off all the city gates. The speed of the operation caught her completely off guard.
Not wanting to linger too long, Shu Yao lowered her head and continued walking towards a secluded place. After a while, she suddenly noticed a commotion ahead. It turned out that a group of soldiers were investigating young women and girls on the road. One of them, wearing a dark blue flying fish robe and sitting on a large horse, was Yue Ping, Huo Jingsha's confidant.
She immediately turned around, hid in a dark alley, waited for a moment, and seeing that she had not attracted the attention of the Imperial Guards, she quickly left without a sound.
Because she was walking in a hurry, Shu Yao's forehead was covered in sweat. After all, her serious injuries had not yet healed, and in order to avoid the eyes and ears of the Huo family's guards, she used her internal strength and used her lightness skill to fly over rooftops and walls, which would inevitably aggravate her wounds.
She could only grit her teeth and endure it, quickening her pace. When she reached the other end of the alley, she found that there were also officials checking her. She immediately stepped aside and stood close to the brick wall.
She thought they would leave if they found nothing amiss, but unexpectedly a group of people walked towards her. Just as the officials were about to enter the alley, Shu Yao pressed her wound and leaped over the wall.
Upon entering, she found the courtyard to be quite large. Just as she was about to hide behind a large tree to take a look, she stumbled and felt dizzy. She closed her eyes, endured the discomfort, and only began to quietly observe her surroundings after her vision cleared.
This must be the courtyard of a wealthy family, but there are very few servants, so it wouldn't be difficult to avoid them. Shu Yao was exhausted and decided to find a corner to hide in for a few days, and then find a way to get out when the checkpoints were less strict.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. After spending the night in the shed, just as dawn was breaking, Shu Yao was awakened by a commotion.
She is usually a light sleeper and a vigilant person, and she will wake up at the slightest sound. But last night, perhaps because she had walked a long way and was injured, she was severely exhausted and slept very soundly.
She guessed... the medicine she was given must have contained calming and hypnotic ingredients, otherwise how could she have slept so soundly without even having a dream, sleeping until dawn, only waking up when there was such a commotion?
It was too late to escape now, so she quickly hid behind a pile of clutter. Listening to the two servants outside complaining in hushed tones, she realized that the Imperial Guards' search had expanded to house by house, and even every single room was to be checked.
You Shuyao felt a headache coming on. These people were indeed troublesome, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease...
Frankly, she didn't believe that Huo Jingsha's elaborate, almost carpet-bombing search was solely for her. To him, maids like her were a dime a dozen in the manor, utterly insignificant and dispensable. Even if she had saved him and he had developed a slight fondness for her, it wouldn't warrant such a massive mobilization of the Imperial Guards and officials for a city-wide search.
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