Jia'an, dressed in all black, stood on the dock and called out names in a low voice.
"Has everyone from Broken Gold Beach arrived?"
"Everyone's here!" The village chief stepped forward, handed over the wooden sign, and then called the villagers to quickly board the large boat.
Zheng Wu stood guard on the gangplank, helping the villagers board the boat one by one, and then said to his master, "Fifth Master, not a single one is missing!"
Jia'an started ordering the next one, "Aunt Liu? Uncle and Aunt Xing?"
Madam Liu brought two nannies, and the Xing couple brought a pair of old servants.
Jia'an reassured them one by one and got them on the ship...
After a good half hour, the dock became deserted, but the boats became faintly lively.
Li Lao Er and Li Dayong walked over and asked, "Is everyone here?"
Jia'an shook his head, "The people from Zhengjiazhuang haven't arrived yet!"
Before the words had even finished, Shui Ling rushed over anxiously, shouting in a low voice, "Our family's convoy is already ten miles away, they'll be there soon."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Sure enough, the convoy from Zhengjiazhuang arrived in less than 15 minutes.
Over the years, although Zhengjiazhuang has only sent its children to work for their masters, its influence can be seen everywhere, from Suijintan and Xinduli to Quanzhou.
Their efforts to improve various small items have benefited countless people.
At this moment, their carriage was lighter and less strenuous than others'.
Moreover, after getting off the carriage, everyone took their luggage and, surprisingly, quickly unloaded the carriage into pieces, intending to carry it all onto the ship and take it south to continue using it...
The head of Zhengjiazhuang was tall and strong, and acted with composure.
He took the lead in bowing to the host, and was lifted up by Li Lao Er.
"Master Zheng, please don't stand on ceremony. We're all family. You've all come a long way, so let's get on the boat without further ado."
Master Zheng immediately handed over the wooden tokens, reported the number of people, and then stood by the gangplank, helping Jia'an send the villagers onto the boat one by one.
Shuiyun looked travel-worn and somewhat disheveled.
Even though she knew the young lady wasn't there, she couldn't help but look around a few times.
Shui Ling, unusually calm, quietly comforted her, "Don't worry, the princess is very capable, she will definitely go south and meet up with us soon."
Shuiyun nodded and said nothing more.
Li Dayong kept his hand on the long knife, alert to any unexpected situations.
Li Lao Er tugged at him and said, "Come on, let's get on the boat."
Li Dayong hesitated for a moment, then quickly waved his hand, "No, Lord, there's a lot going on in the military camp, I can't leave! I have to wait for the Marquis and Fourth Brother to return!"
"Don't be foolish. At this point, staying means certain death!" Li Lao Er said in a low voice. "Fu Niu'er and Mu Xu have already gone to Jiangbei. They will definitely take the Marquis and Lao Si to Quanzhou."
"If you wait here, not only will they not come, but you might also lose your life."
Li Dayong still disagreed, pointing towards the palace and saying, "If I guard this place and hold military power, even if that person knows we've left, he won't be able to pursue us."
Li Lao Er gave a cold laugh, which sounded particularly chilling under the night sky.
"Don't worry, that person will soon be too busy to take care of himself."
Li Dayong was puzzled.
Li Lao Er whispered a few words in his ear.
Li Dayong's eyes widened, and he almost jumped up on the spot.
After a long while, he finally showed some excitement, took a few deep breaths, and turned to find his personal guards.
Those he brought here were all absolutely trustworthy subordinates.
At this moment, a few men with families were selected and sent back to the military camp with their military tokens, awaiting their takeover.
He questioned the rest of the lone individuals one by one, and then they all boarded the ship together...
As night deepened, there was not a sound on the dock except for the river.
On the large ship, everyone was waiting, even though they didn't know what they were waiting for.
Similarly, the entire new city is waiting.
The refugees outside the city gates, having exhausted themselves from their commotion, went back to their dilapidated shacks to sleep.
In the palace, most of the halls had their lights off, including the imperial study.
Steward Yi was extremely tired and yawned while standing behind a pillar in the corridor.
A young eunuch stepped forward obsequiously, "Master Steward, may I fetch you a bowl of plum juice to quench your thirst?"
Just as Steward Yi was about to speak, the little eunuch cried out in surprise.
Although brief, it was still quite noticeable in the quiet night. A guard came over to inquire, but Chief Steward Yi dismissed him with a few words.
Chief Eunuch Yi glared at the little eunuch and said, "Come on, let's go have a bowl of plum juice to wake you up, so you won't startle us like this."
The young eunuch broke out in a cold sweat. If he had been dragged away by the guards, he would have been badly injured, if not killed.
He obediently followed behind the steward, but as they turned the corner, he couldn't help but wonder and turned his head to take another look.
Just now, he clearly saw a white figure jump into the window of the imperial study...
Inside the quiet imperial bedchamber, the emperor was sleeping soundly.
In the corner of the room, wisps of smoke rise from the incense burner, a calming fragrance that promotes sleep.
For the past six months, the Emperor has been particularly fond of this scent, especially after being tricked by the Consort. He can hardly sleep without the fragrance.
The little white fox nimbly jumped onto the high stool where the incense burner was placed, turned its head to look around, and then put its two little paws on the collar around its neck.
Just as it was about to exert force, the door creaked open.
The little fox was so frightened that its fur stood on end, and it tried its best to hide its head behind the incense burner.
Footsteps drew closer, and a pair of hands gently stroked the little fox.
"Don't be afraid, it's me."
The little fox raised its head, like a child caught doing something wrong, and chirped twice in a wronged tone.
The prince chuckled, carefully pried open its collar with both hands, and then tapped the incense burner a few times.
Some black powder fell silently, burning along with the incense and gradually spreading throughout the room.
The door was opened again, and the prince carried the little fox out with his sleeve. Once they were in a secluded place, the prince put the little fox down.
"Go back, go find your master! Don't let her worry..." The prince gently patted the little fox's head one last time, feeling a little reluctant to part with it.
The little fox chirped, its little eyes filled with confusion.
It spun around a few times, then suddenly jumped up, bit off the belt of the jade pendant on the prince's waist, and ran away without a trace with the pendant in its mouth.
The crown prince remained silent for a long time, then sighed with amusement.
"Little guy, are you going to try and get some benefits for your master in the end?"
Unfortunately, no one heard, and naturally no one answered; only the night wind blew by, carrying away the curiosity...
On the large ship waiting at the dock, the crowd gradually grew impatient.
Even Old Lady Li walked to the side of the boat and peered into the darkness. Li Lao Er advised, "Mother, it's windy here. Let's go back to the cabin."
Grandma Li shook her head and said softly, "It's alright, I'll wait a little longer. Fu Niu'er is our only little fox, and we cherish her terribly. We have to take her with us no matter what."
Li Lao Er remained silent. Compared to the little fox itself, the task it was undertaking was the most crucial of all!
If successful, the entire Tianwu Kingdom will be turned upside down.
But no one knew that this was all thanks to a little fox!
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