The next morning, sunlight streamed into the room through the window, waking the two who were still immersed in their sleep. The scholar gently woke his wife and began to pack his luggage.
"We should go," he whispered, a hint of urgency in his voice.
The wife rubbed her eyes and quickly stood up to help pack the luggage. There was a hint of uneasiness in her eyes, but she still resolutely completed the preparations with the scholar.
When they walked downstairs, they found a group of people gathered at the door of the inn. They were whispering to each other with nervous expressions, as if they were discussing something important.
The scholar couldn't help but lean over out of curiosity to listen for a few words. It turned out that everyone was talking about the government's pursuit of the fugitive last night.
"I heard that the pair of thieves are wanted criminals of the imperial court, and they are responsible for more than a dozen deaths!" an old man said excitedly.
"Yes, the government blocked the entire town last night, and there were soldiers everywhere. When I got up in the morning, I saw a few soldiers patrolling the streets." Another young man echoed.
At this time, a middle-aged man interrupted and said, "You know what? I just heard a fight in the distance. It might be the soldiers catching the fugitives."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The scholar and his wife looked at each other. They knew that if they were caught up in this storm, the consequences would be disastrous. So they decided to leave this place as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"Let's go." The scholar took his wife's hand and walked out of the inn quickly.
They set out on the journey to the capital, their hearts filled with worry and anxiety, but they believed that as long as they left this small town, they would be able to escape danger and continue on their journey.
When they reached the town's exit, they saw a group of soldiers holding portraits, carefully comparing them with the faces of every citizen leaving the town. When it was their turn to be inspected, the scholar handed the document to the leading soldier.
The soldier took the document and carefully read the words on it: "Shangjing Baizhuo, Qinglian."
The officer raised his head in confusion, his gaze settling on the couple before him. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful, with a striking appearance. The man, on the other hand, appeared gentle and refined, with a scholarly air.
The leading officer couldn't help but feel lustful and reached out to touch the woman's cheek. However, at this moment, the scholar quickly stepped forward, stood in front of his wife, and handed over a silver ingot.
The officer was slightly dissatisfied, but when he saw the silver, he accepted it. He frowned and asked in confusion, "Shangjing is very far from here. Why did you two come to this place?"
Bai Zhuo's expression was calm, and he replied calmly, "My wife's brother-in-law is a general in the Nanyi Army. My husband and I have come here specially to visit him."
Upon hearing this, the officer turned pale with fear, his forehead dripping with sweat, and he almost dropped the silver he had just received. With trembling hands, he quickly handed the silver back to Bai Zhuo and said with a flattering smile, "Sir, take care!"
Bai Zhuo took the silver expressionlessly, then took Qinglian's hand and held it tightly. He tilted his head, his eyes full of warning, and glared at Qinglian. Then, he turned around, smiled slightly at the officers and soldiers, and said in a cold tone: "You have worked hard!"
After saying that, Bai Zhuo pulled Qing Lian and left the town without looking back. Along the way, they encountered many checkpoints and inspections, but because of Bai Zhuo's background and his relationship with the Nanyi generals, the soldiers did not make things difficult for them and allowed them to pass all the checkpoints smoothly.
After a long journey, they finally arrived at another city. The commander of this city was a close confidant of Emperor Wen, so Xiao Jingyi could not openly send officers and soldiers to search everywhere.
However, there are many secret guards arranged by Emperor Wen in the city, and they are quietly searching for Xiao Jinghan's whereabouts.
Bai Zhuo brought Qing Lian to an inn. He frowned and said to Bai Zhuo, "We're hiding from Xiao Jingyi's men right now. How could you be so impulsive as to poison the soldiers? If we get caught, they'll definitely cling to us like a dog-skin plaster. It'll be difficult to shake them off then!"
Qinglian smiled mischievously and comforted, "Oh, don't worry. What are you afraid of when you are with me?" As she spoke, she reached out and took off the mask on her face, revealing Luo Lingyue's beautiful face.
Luo Lingyue smiled triumphantly, blinked her eyes and said, "Look, I have some spoils!" After that, she took out a pile of silver coins and many exquisite jade pendants from her arms.
Xiao Jinghan's eyes widened, and he asked in surprise: "Where did you get all this? Did you steal it along the way? We don't need this little bit of silver."
Luo Lingyue sneered and replied disdainfully, "Those officers and soldiers are Xiao Jingyi's minions. What's the big deal if I just took their things? I even sprinkled itching powder on them to make them suffer!"
Luo Lingyue glanced casually at the jade pendant on the table, and curled her lips in disdain: "Humph, they are just some worthless junk!"
After saying that, she grabbed the jade pendant and silver coins without any reluctance, walked to the window, and threw them out of the window casually like garbage.
The jade pendants and broken silver coins drew parabolas in the air and then fell precisely into the broken bowls of several poor beggars on the street.
Several beggars were eagerly watching the passers-by on the street, hoping to get some alms. Suddenly, they saw several crystal clear jade pendants and sparkling silver coins appear before their eyes, and they could not help but be stunned.
They looked up in astonishment and saw a beautiful woman in luxurious clothes standing at the window. She looked at them indifferently, without a trace of expression on her face.
The beggars came to their senses, their eyes filled with tears of joy. They knelt on the ground, kowtowed repeatedly toward the window, and said, "Thank you so much for your gift! I wish you a long life!"
Luo Lingyue glanced at them coldly, her heart unmoved. To her, these jade pendants and small silver coins were merely insignificant trinkets, but to these beggars, they were a chance to change their fate.
However, Luo Lingyue did not feel the slightest satisfaction or joy from this. She simply turned and left indifferently, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with her.
The beggars outside the window were still immersed in surprise. They held the jade pendants and silver coins tightly in their hands, tears of gratitude in their eyes.
They knew that the noble person they met today might become a turning point in their lives. With these silver and jade pendants, they no longer had to beg on the streets and could start a small business to make a living!
When Xiao Jinghan saw the smile in Luo Lingyue's eyes, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, and he casually threw a few silver ingots to the beggar.
Luo Lingyue raised her eyes to look at Xiao Jinghan, who replied with a faint smile: "I learned this from my wife!"
However, at this moment, their expressions suddenly changed, and they saw countless arrows shooting in from the window. Xiao Jinghan hugged Luo Lingyue tightly and rolled to hide behind the closet.
In the blink of an eye, the entire room was riddled with holes from dense arrows, leaving no room for any escape!
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