Chapter 407 Changing to the Land Route
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao's expression also turned serious. They had failed this time, but they would continue to send assassins to kill them, and next time they would send even more people with better skills.
Gu Jingxi suddenly regretted bringing A Yao out. On the way back to the capital, they would encounter another assassination attempt. It was no big deal for him, but for a woman who was weak and kept in the backyard of a secluded mansion, even one such encounter would terrify her. And there would be more dangers to come.
Meng Jinyao saw his guilt and self-blame, reached out her small hand to hold his hand, and smiled gently: "Husband, I'm not afraid. I always believe that good will prevail over evil, and we will both return to the capital alive. But just in case, we still need to find a way to send out the evidence we have."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi embraced her and said, "The account books and letters are not with me. I had Fang Xuan send them back to the capital a day in advance. It's no use for them to keep an eye on us."
"What are your plans next, my husband?" Meng Jinyao looked up at him and suggested, "Chan'er is seriously injured and needs to rest properly. She shouldn't continue traveling with us. In my opinion, why don't we leave Chan'er here to recover and let Qingqiu take care of her? Their target is not Chan'er and Qingqiu, so there won't be any major problems even if they stay."
Gu Jingxi nodded slightly: "I had the same idea. Let Chan'er stay here to recover for the time being, and Qingqiu will stay to take care of her as well."
Meng Jinyao asked again, "Husband, when shall we set off again?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "There are definitely still people watching us, but they don't have enough manpower to take action again. Even if Lord Han finds out that the assassination failed, it will take a day to get back and report the news. It will also take time to send someone to assassinate us. During this time, we are safe. It is not advisable to stay here for long. We will continue our journey at dawn and travel a safe distance."
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Meanwhile, Chan'er really developed a high fever. A doctor came to see her, but he only said that she wouldn't be in any danger after the fever subsided, prescribed some medicine, and left.
Gu Jingxi and his group could not linger any longer. If they stayed, the injured Chan'er would also be in danger if the next assassin came. Taking her away was also not an option. They left only the silver and instructed Qingqiu to stay and take care of her until Chan'er recovered before returning to the capital together.
As for the shopkeeper, a lot of furniture was damaged in the fight, and Gu Jingxi compensated the shopkeeper with the corresponding amount of money.
The innkeeper, having reported to the authorities the previous night, knew that Gu Jingxi came from an official family. He treated Chan'er and Qingqiu as honored guests, not daring to neglect them, and even less daring to have any improper thoughts just because they were two young girls.
Before leaving, Yu Chuan was worried because Chan'er had not yet woken up. However, he could not stay and abandon the Marquis. The Marquis could not do without his helper. As for Chan'er, if she stayed at the inn, those people would not touch her. After all, Chan'er was just a maid, and those people would not bother to do anything to a maid.
Yu Chuan kept nagging, "Miss Qingqiu, you must take good care of her. Don't let her manly appearance and strength fool you; she's not like a girl at all. She's terrified of taking medicine. When you give her her medicine, prepare some candied fruit. If her injuries improve, she might refuse to take the medicine and want to continue her journey. You must persuade her not to be willful and not to take her health lightly. If such a serious injury isn't properly healed and she develops a chronic illness, she'll be the one who suffers."
Qingqiu nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, I will take good care of her. I've remembered everything you said."
"Qingqiu, we're leaving now. Take good care of yourself and Chan'er."
Meng Jinyao also gave a word of advice: she didn't know martial arts and would be a burden to travel with her, but if she stayed behind, she would also become a burden. Those people knew that her husband cared about her and would use her to blackmail him, but it was different with a maid. Who would use a maid to blackmail their master into handing over such important evidence?
Meng Jinyao left the guest room, but Yu Chuan was still standing by the bed, reluctant to leave. In the end, Zhou Yun had to pull him out.
When the group arrived at the dock, the boatman was already waiting for them.
After boarding, the boatman's wife noticed that two girls were missing and asked curiously, "Madam, where are the other two girls? Haven't they arrived yet? Should we wait a little longer?"
Meng Jinyao replied gently, "There's no need to wait. They have relatives here and have gone to their homes."
After hearing this, the woman nodded knowingly and did not ask any further questions.
Back in her cabin, Meng Jinyao suddenly asked curiously, "Husband, do you think Yu Chuan has feelings for Chan'er? Chan'er is injured, and Zhou Yun and Fang Ce are also worried, but their worry is different from Yu Chuan's."
Gu Jingxi said truthfully, "Yu Chuan does have feelings for her, but whether she has feelings for Yu Chuan is unknown. I promised Yu Chuan that when we returned to the capital, I would ask you to act as matchmaker for them. If Chan'er agrees, I will arrange their marriage."
"Then once Chan'er has recovered from her injuries and returned to the capital, I will bring up this matter with her."
After saying that, Meng Jinyao thought of her two head maids, Qingqiu and Ningdong, who were both of marriageable age. She didn't want to waste their youth, so she would ask them what they thought when she returned to the capital. If they were interested, she would help them find husbands.
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Gu Jingxi didn't want the next assassination attempt to happen on a boat. After all, the boatman was innocent; he was just making a living by carrying passengers. If he were to die innocently because of him, it would be his fault.
So Gu Jingxi calculated the time and had the boatman sail day and night, disembarking three days later. As for the things on the boat that belonged to them, he told the boatman to continue north and deliver them to the Marquis of Changxing's residence. In addition, he paid the boatman a separate fee.
Upon hearing that they were from the Marquis of Changxing's residence, the boatman knew they were no ordinary people. Without asking any further questions, he readily agreed. As for sailing day and night, he said it was no problem; he and his crew could take turns sailing.
Three days later, Gu Jingxi and his party disembarked, and the boatman continued sailing north.
Meng Jinyao asked softly, "Husband, should we stay any longer, or what?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "We'll disguise ourselves and travel by land. Before that, we need to go to the government office to forge an identity document and obtain a travel permit."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao nodded knowingly. If they changed to the land route, those people would still be able to find them based on the records of entering and leaving the city. However, if they forged an identity document and obtained a travel permit to the capital under a false identity, it would be a different story.
A moment later, Meng Jinyao thought of another problem: "But what if the government betrays you if you go to them?"
Gu Jingxi smiled and said, "That's why I had the boatman travel day and night. We must arrive here within three days. Others may not be trustworthy, but Magistrate Zhang here is trustworthy. He is my father's student and is an honest and upright official."
Meng Jinyao understood: "I see."
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