Chapter 296 Entering the City
Lin Changning held Yue'er, whose hair had been dyed purplish-black, in his arms, and carried a yellowish-black basket in his other hand, which was half-filled with large, black mulberries. He slowly walked towards the door.
Li Mingshu was holding Lin Changning's arm. Her hair was loosely tied up, looking a little messy. Her head was down, and the messy hair covered her bright face.
Ahead lies Yichuan County, another location prepared by Lin Changning. We don't yet know the situation in the other places, nor whether Mr. Gao and his group have arrived here.
The restaurant here was a private property of the Prince's Mansion. When Lin Changning was leaving, he found a relatively intact bamboo basket in the thatched hut. He and Li Mingshu and Yue'er picked a large basket and hurried towards Yichuan County.
After discussing it, the three of them decided to pretend to be a couple, pick mulberries in the forest and sell them at the market. Yue'er's hair was dyed black with mulberries, so it was inevitably a little sticky, and she always carried the sweet smell of mulberries.
If she were disguised as a farmer picking and selling mulberries, that would make sense. In order not to give herself away, Yue'er's face was covered with the dark purple color of mulberries.
Li Mingshu looked just like a normal farm child, all dirty and disheveled. She was dressed as an ordinary farm woman, her teeth stained black by mulberries, her hands also stained with mulberry color, and her messy hair covering her half-grown face. Lin Changning also applied a layer of dandelion and sedge juice to Li Mingshu's face, which, after a while, turned her face a waxy yellow color when washed off.
The three women's exposed skin, palms, and ankles were all coated with a thick layer of plant sap by Lin Changning, making them look no different from ordinary farm women at first glance.
If one doesn't observe carefully, it should be possible to fool them.
Lin Changning carried a basket on his shoulder and held Yue'er in one arm, while Li Mingshu shrank back and hung her head. After the three of them reached the city gate, Lin Changning paid the copper coins for entering the city and showed them their travel permits. He kept his head down and looked somewhat timid.
The soldiers guarding Yichuan County only glanced at the three people briefly, looking at the basket hanging on Lin Changning's arm, then at the dirty Yue'er and the shivering Li Mingshu beside her.
All three of them had dusty faces, sallow skin, and their hands were stained with dirt from picking mulberries. They looked like ordinary farmers.
"Going to the market?"
Lin Changning lowered his head, nodded, and said, "Yes, sir. Last year, the family harvest was not good, so I took my wife and children to the mountains to pick some fruit and sell it to supplement our income."
The soldiers guarding the city glanced at the travel permits, then at the three men's appearances, and finding nothing unusual, took out a portrait and compared it to the three men. They then tucked the portrait back into their waistbands and waved their hands, saying, "Go on."
Upon hearing the soldiers guarding the city order someone to come over, Lin Changning hurriedly pulled Li Mingshu along, preparing to walk inside. As they passed the soldiers, he secretly glanced at them.
My heart skipped a beat. The portraits showed the white-haired Yue'er and Li Mingshu. The last one should be her, but thanks to the three of them being disguised and having Yue'er's hair dyed black, the soldiers didn't seem to pay any attention to them.
After letting out a sigh of relief, Lin Changning quickly led Yue'er and Li Mingshu toward a restaurant in the city.
Pulling the princess along, Lin Changning bent down and breathed on the innkeeper, saying, "Innkeeper, these are freshly picked mulberries from the mountains, big and juicy. Do you buy them?"
Just as the shopkeeper was about to wave the person away, he suddenly heard Lin Changning say, "Shopkeeper, I think it looks like it's going to rain outside. Could I borrow an umbrella?"
The shopkeeper looked up abruptly, exchanged a glance with Lin Changning, and then nodded, saying, "I happen to be making some desserts recently, and I'm short of fruit. Go and take your mulberries to the kitchen."
As he spoke, the shopkeeper came out with a basket of mulberries and headed towards the kitchen: "Come with me. Go to the kitchen and wash these mulberries. Pick out the bad ones, weigh them, and then I'll calculate the price for you."
Lin Changning bowed and scraped as he followed them inside. When they reached the kitchen, the shopkeeper put down the mulberries and led Lin Changning to a secluded spot in the backyard.
"The umbrellas in front are for important people. I'll go to the back and find you some ordinary umbrellas."
After seeing Lin Changning and the others follow, the shopkeeper turned around, looked around, and found that no one else was following. He then led Lin Changning into a small woodshed.
She looked up at Lin Changning and cupped her hands in greeting: "Lord Lin, these two must be the princess and the young lady."
Lin Changning, holding Yue'er, sat on the stool and nodded: "Didn't the others come? It seems the previous seat was taken. When I went over, I saw a symbol carved on the door that said 'Things have changed, emergency evacuation'."
The shopkeeper shook his head: "In theory, Mr. Gao should have arrived in the last two days, but we haven't received any information. You are among the first batch to arrive today."
Lin Changning's heart sank to the bottom. They hadn't even arrived yet, and he was afraid that things were already going badly for them.
The shopkeeper sighed as well, "I'm afraid Mr. Gao is..."
Lin Changning's face immediately darkened: "The next steps still need to be arranged by the manager. I need to take the princess and the young lady back to Taiyuan as soon as possible. It seems that the imperial court had already issued a warrant for our arrest when we entered the city."
The innkeeper nodded and said, "A few days ago, someone came to the restaurant with a portrait looking for someone. I will arrange for you and the princess to leave the city as soon as possible. I'm sorry to trouble you and the princess to stay at the restaurant for today."
Lin Changning nodded. The innkeeper pushed open a hidden door behind the woodshed door and turned to look at Lin Changning: "It's not safe to stay outside. Soldiers often come to the restaurant to investigate. Please, sir and princess, move to the secret room."
Lin Changning and Li Mingshu exchanged a glance. Lin Changning nodded slightly and then followed the shopkeeper inside, carrying Yue'er in his arms.
This secret room isn't very large, but it has everything you need: a bed, a table, desks, cabinets, and other furniture.
After Lin Changning led the two inside, he slowly breathed a sigh of relief. The shopkeeper took out a box of pastries from the cabinet and poured a few cups of tea for Lin Changning and the other person, saying respectfully, "Have something to eat first. You and the princess have had a long journey. I will personally bring you food later."
Lin Changning nodded and added, "Bring me some paper and pens on your way back."
The shopkeeper nodded and respectfully withdrew.
Li Mingshu looked at Lin Changning: "We're wanted now, how do we get there?"
Seeing Li Mingshu's anxious expression, Lin Changning comforted her, "Sister, don't worry. I've already made plans before we came. The shopkeeper will change our identities. We'll take a carriage directly to the next town. We'll change our identities every three towns. We'll reach the vicinity of Taiyuan in a maximum of six days. There will be someone to meet us with troops. However, we'll have to travel day and night by carriage from now on."
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