Chapter 188 The Assassin Has Arrived
Another man in black peered in and said, "That's right, this is it, Cheng'an County. The people sent by the Empress Dowager followed His Majesty's confidants all the way here. Presumably, the Empress and His Highness are here."
The leader of the men in black asked solemnly, "What did the Imperial Concubine say?"
The man in black said coldly, "The Empress Dowager said that this time we must bring back the Empress's head; we can't let her get away like last time."
The leader of the men in black put away the map and laughed, "Alright! Let's get going!"
As soon as they finished speaking, they jumped onto their horses and headed towards Cheng'an County.
In Cheng'an County, to prevent assassins from coming, Magistrate Li sent several people to guard a kilometer away from the county seat. If any suspicious people came, they were to be reported to the county government immediately.
These past few days, Magistrate Li hasn't dared to even blink.
Seeing the plight, Lady Liu felt sorry for the girl and prepared two side dishes for herself before going to the county government office.
When Magistrate Li saw her arrive, he quickly went up to her and said, "What brings you here?"
Lady Liu put down the food box in her hand. "I noticed you've been so busy these past few days that you haven't come home, so I came to check on you."
Magistrate Li said slowly, "I'm fine. But you and your sister have finally reunited. Why don't you stay at the manor and keep her company?"
Lady Liu took out the dishes from the food box one by one, saying, "My sister is much better now. The servants in the manor are watching over her, so she'll be fine."
Magistrate Li looked at the food on the table and immediately felt an appetite, picking up his chopsticks and starting to eat.
Lady Liu sat to the side with her head down, her face full of smiles.
Magistrate Li noticed something was wrong and asked her, "Wife, what's wrong?"
Holding a handkerchief in her hand, Lady Liu took a long time to say, "I think I'm pregnant."
Magistrate Li was startled and almost dropped his chopsticks.
Lady Liu gripped her handkerchief tightly and said slowly, "The doctor said it's been two months already."
Magistrate Li was overjoyed and quickly stood up to come to her side. "Really?"
Lady Liu nodded. "It's true."
Magistrate Li pulled her into his arms, saying, "I never thought I'd have a child of my own in this lifetime."
Lady Liu's eyes were red. The two of them had gone through many twists and turns in their lives before finally getting together. They thought that having a child would be a luxury for them, but who would have thought that God would be kind to them and let them have this child.
Magistrate Li was so excited he almost cried.
Lady Liu comforted him, and the two of them nestled together, their eyes reddening.
Just then, someone outside reported, "My lord, my lord! Several men dressed in black have arrived from Qingzhou Prefecture, and we think something is amiss with them."
Magistrate Li's face darkened. "Where is Prefect Zheng?"
The man replied, "Prefect Zheng has already sent men to stop them."
Magistrate Li said sternly, "Have your yamen men guard the area. No matter who it is, anyone from the capital is strictly forbidden from entering Cheng'an County!"
The man quickly replied, "Yes, sir!"
Magistrate Li then sent two more people to the Zhou family to inform Zhou Ruiyuan of the matter.
Outside Qingzhou Prefecture.
The man in black, riding his horse, looked at the guards standing in front of him, frowned, and said, "It seems we won't be able to enter the city gate today."
The leader said seriously, "No rush, let's leave here and take the small path around the back of the mountain."
The others replied, "Alright, let's get going."
The back mountain of Qingzhou Prefecture connects to Cheng'an County, so taking this route would indeed be closer. However, there are all sorts of things on this mountain, so they probably won't be able to get there easily.
Although the weather is quite cold now, the mountains are still lush with trees.
The leading man looked up and said, "This place is really strange; the trees are growing so well even in winter."
The others looked on together and said, "This place is located in the south and is much warmer than our capital, so naturally the trees grow well here."
No sooner had they finished speaking than a jet-black snake suddenly appeared from the tree and headed towards them.
The leader exclaimed in alarm, "This snake has a triangular head! Be careful, it might be poisonous!"
The others immediately tensed up and gripped their longswords tightly.
Before long, the number of snakes in the forest increased dramatically.
The snakes raised their heads and attacked them one by one.
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