However, when the time came, Old Lady Li was surprisingly calm.
"Second Brother, Mr. Wen, was the assassination carried out secretly, without wanting outsiders to know? Does that mean that person also doesn't want outsiders to call him ungrateful and heartless? Does that mean he doesn't want to directly break ties?"
These words reminded Li Lao Er. He exchanged a glance with Mr. Wen and said, "Mother is right. Since that person values fame and fortune, he won't ruin his reputation until the very end. So the Marquis was assassinated, not directly recalled to Xindu!"
Tao Hongying couldn't help but ask, "Then...does our family still need to move south immediately?"
Li Lao Er replied, "Yes, at least the elderly and children should be sent away as soon as possible."
Jiayin was the first to respond, "I can't leave. Only I can find out the news in the palace, and I have a backup plan. I must ensure the safety of my father and godfather at critical moments."
"Besides, too many people are watching me. If I leave, I will be discovered immediately. It is best to move south quietly, and by the time others become alert, we will have already made our retreat."
Grandma Li grew anxious and exclaimed, "No, Fu Niu'er must leave this time. I'll stay and handle things myself if anything happens; we can keep it a secret for a few days."
Tao Hongying also tried to persuade him, saying, "No, Mother and Fu Niu'er can both leave, I'll stay."
For a moment, the family, young and old, started arguing, each wanting to stay and leave the opportunity to retreat to others.
Mu Xu naturally didn't want Jia Yin to be in any danger, so he advised, "It took a whole day and night for the message to reach me. Perhaps the Marquis has already started the decisive battle."
"Once the barbarians are driven out of the border and Jiangbei is completely recovered, that person will definitely rush back in a rage. The Marquis and the Fourth Master are in Jiangbei and have not relinquished their military power, so that person has no way to deal with it for the time being. Their target for venting their anger will definitely be our family."
"That's why the Marquis sent a message ordering his family to move south. Because no one could stop the situation from developing if they stayed behind; they would only be throwing their lives away in vain."
"If they are imprisoned, it will only become a handle to pressure the Marquis and the Fourth Master."
That made sense, and everyone fell silent for a moment.
It's clearly unrealistic to expect the entire family, young and old, to move away, leaving no one behind.
Someone has to stay behind to cover things up for a while, and to handle the aftermath and prevent any potential escapes.
If you put it in someone else's house, no one would want to keep it.
But in the Li family, no one wanted to leave; everyone wanted to stay!
Li Lao Er walked around the eaves twice with his hands behind his back. Just as he was about to speak, a clear and melodious bell rang out in the distance.
One sound after another echoed far into the dark night.
The entire city, inside and out, fell silent instantly; even the chirping of insects vanished.
Li Lao Er turned to look at everyone and said with a wry smile, "There's no need to fight over it anymore; I'm afraid most of the family members will have to stay."
Jiayin's face was also extremely pale. There had been no news in the afternoon, and she had thought that the palace would announce the death tomorrow morning.
Little did they expect that the news from Jiangbei would arrive so soon that the palace bells would ring.
It was as if some unseen force had ruthlessly disrupted all the arrangements, making the situation even more chaotic.
She thought for a moment and said, “Grandma and I will go to the palace to mourn, but Mother doesn’t need to go. The village is sealed off, only allowing entry and not exit. We’ll secretly send the elderly and children onto a boat to Quanzhou first. By the time it’s discovered in a few days, the boat will be far away, and there should be results from Jiangbei.”
Both Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen nodded.
Grandma Li desperately wanted to send her granddaughter away, but as her granddaughter said, there were some things she couldn't do without her, and now that she was going to the palace to mourn, it was all in front of everyone, so she couldn't leave at all.
Left with no other choice, she could only say, "Hongying, take the elderly and children of the village and leave quickly. Wan'er and her son must also leave! Don't fight over it; staying behind won't help, it will only hold you back!"
Tao Hongying immediately objected, and Wan'er was also unwilling to agree.
Jia Huan chimed in, "I'm not leaving either. I'm a regular at the restaurant; if I suddenly disappear, people will definitely suspect something. I'll stay and help out at home!"
But Li Lao Er made a decision, "Listen to Mother. Mr. Wen, Jia'an, and I all hold official positions and can't leave. Mother and Fu Niu'er are even less likely to leave!"
"Now, the villagers can only be left in the care of my younger brother and sister-in-law and Jiaren's wife. Only when you are safe and sound can we have no worries."
"Also, Huan-ge'er must leave with the ship. Firstly, with the Empress's passing, the restaurant will definitely have to close. Secondly, Mao-ge'er is too impulsive, while you are steady and reliable. On the way, please help your aunt and sister-in-law take care of the elderly, weak, women, and children."
Jia Huan had no excuse left, and no matter how unwilling she was, she could only nod.
Li Lao Er then continued, "The three boats we prepared beforehand have been hidden in Jiangchazi, a hundred miles away, guarded by Zheng Feng and his men. They're just waiting for this day so we can quickly evacuate with our families."
"Now, two boats are ready to take the elderly and children south, and the remaining boat can be used to pick up the rest of the people at any time. Let's quickly divide the tasks and get moving. With the Empress's funeral in progress and everyone's attention focused on the palace, the time is just right!"
Jiayin immediately grabbed paper and pen, and Li Lao Er began to write.
The village should notify the village chief that all families, young and old, should be evacuated. The village should be sealed off from the outside world. If it becomes impossible to keep it a secret, then say that the children have been taken by their teacher on a study tour.
Mr. Chiang was determined to go with the ship, so that if the palace found out, he would be the children's protector.
It can be said that he raised the crown prince himself.
Now, using this sentiment to protect a group of unimportant children shouldn't be difficult.
The Liu family, the Jia family, and the Xing family also need to send messages.
If the three families also want to send their children to safety, then they should go together.
If you feel it's unnecessary, then help cover it up a bit, at least so that things don't go wrong because of ignorance.
The Marquis's residence also needs to inform the head steward, explain the situation, and make preparations.
It's best to find a reasonable excuse to dismiss some irrelevant people, so as to avoid innocent people being implicated when things come to a head.
Back in Luo'an, we need to quickly inform Li Laosan. The canteen is full of villagers, and it would be best if Cat Brother also went south by boat.
Mr. Wen thought of Guo Wenhao and said, "Don't forget to pass on a message to Wenhao and ask him to go to Quanzhou with me. This kid... is my disciple, he'll definitely be implicated."
Li Lao Er advised, "Don't say that. A teacher for a day is a father for life. He has received a lot of care from you two as his disciple. Even if there are some dangers to face going south, he certainly won't complain. That child is sensible!"
Mr. Wen nodded and added, "Remember to inform the Liu family first, in case Old Master Liu intends for Zhimin and Xiujie to go south together."
“Yes, that’s what I think too.” Li Lao Er quickly added.
Also, inform Li Dayong about the assassination of the Marquis at the military camp and dock, so that he is aware of the situation.
Perhaps in a critical moment, he will be needed to protect and ensure the rapid evacuation of the elderly, women, and children.
The Zheng family in Zhengjiazhuang are known as former servants of the Emperor's maternal family, but they have been serving the Marquis and Jiayin for many years. No one can guarantee that they will not be purged, so we should inform them and prepare accordingly.
Whether or not they move south depends entirely on the Zheng family's wishes.
Two updates today!
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