Chu Qingluan and Chu Hong exchanged a wary look.
"It seems that the security in the capital is even stricter than we imagined." Chu Qingluan whispered, frowning slightly.
Chu Hong nodded. "That imposter's wedding is imminent, and it's also a sensitive period for military action against the Qin Empire. Investigations and spies are inevitable, and we need to be careful."
At this time, they heard the people in the queue in front of them whispering:
"Why are you checking so strictly?"
"Well, it's because Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess is getting married soon. I heard that the Qin State is not convinced and has sent many spies to cause trouble!"
"That's right, you must check it carefully!"
Hearing the people talking about the Crown Princess' upcoming wedding, Chu Qingluan's eyes suddenly turned colder.
Chu Hong patted the back of her hand gently and said, "Don't worry, sister. I will definitely protect you."
When it was their carriage's turn, a soldier stepped forward and asked in a gruff voice, "What are you doing? Where are you from? Who's in the carriage? What brings you to the capital?"
Chu Hong signaled the driver to be silent, lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, and spoke first: "We two came from Mo City in the south, bringing our children to Beijing to stay with relatives."
He also deliberately changed his accent a little to sound more down-to-earth.
The soldiers looked at them suspiciously, especially when they saw Chu Qingluan holding a baby in her arms, their eyes became a little more alert.
"Relatives? Which relatives? Which street do they live on? What's their name?"
"Everyone get off the bus and we'll interrogate you one by one!"
As the soldier spoke, he was about to step forward and lift the curtain.
Chu Qingluan's heart tightened. She was thinking about how to respond, but she saw Chu Hong had already spoken first. His tone was already a little impatient.
"We've been traveling all this way, and the child is crying so hard. We're just looking for relatives and a way to make a living. Why do we need to investigate so thoroughly? Could it be that the capital no longer allows people to visit relatives?"
His eyebrows raised slightly, and a hint of offended displeasure flashed across his eyes.
He was the dignified King Rui, of noble status, yet he was being interrogated like this by a small soldier. If he had not been afraid of exposing his identity, he would have lost his temper long ago.
The soldier choked at his tone and immediately became angry. "What's with your attitude? I'm just questioning you. What's wrong? Just answer everything I ask. If you keep on talking, I'll detain you as a spy!"
As the soldier spoke, he was about to raise his hand to lift the curtain of the car.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense. The driver and the servants behind him were all sweating secretly, ready to respond at any time.
But at this moment, I suddenly heard a burst of hurried horse hooves sounds coming from behind me, coming closer and closer.
The soldier subconsciously turned around, and when he saw the figure on the horse, his face suddenly changed. He no longer cared about Chu Hong and immediately knelt down on one knee.
"Greetings, Your Excellency the Prime Minister!"
Xie Yunqi reined in his horse and casually glanced at the queued crowd and the inconspicuous carriage.
Before his gaze could reach him, Chu Hong had already calmly lowered the car curtain, blocking out the outside view.
When Chu Qingluan heard the soldiers' salute, she was stunned at first and subconsciously held her breath.
Prime Minister? Is it Xie Yunqi? Or Gu Tingyuan?
At this moment, a long-lost but somewhat oppressive voice came from outside the car, speaking to the soldier on the ground.
"Inspection is part of our job, but we must not intentionally embarrass the people and delay their journey."
"Yes, I understand!" The soldier responded quickly, not daring to raise his head.
Xie Yunqi nodded, kicked his horse's belly without stopping, and continued to lead the team out of the city.
When Chu Qingluan heard Xie Yunqi's voice, her heart started beating uncontrollably!
She almost subconsciously reached out to lift the car curtain -
However, when he stuck his head out, he only saw a stern figure riding away on horseback.
Just as she was about to call for help, the sound of people talking reached her ears.
"Tsk! Is Prime Minister Xie going to hunt the snow fox in the West Mountain again?"
"That's right! I heard they've been guarding for three consecutive days. They're really thoughtful!"
"Of course, that's one of the betrothal gifts for Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess. I heard that Her Royal Highness loves snow fox fur very much. Prime Minister Xie is catering to her taste and has taken great pains to do so..."
Chu Qingluan could no longer hear the rest of the words.
Her fingers froze in mid-air, her mind full of Xie Yunqi going to hunt snow foxes for that imposter.
My heart felt like it was being suddenly gripped by something, it felt sour and bitter, with a hint of cold absurdity.
She didn't believe that Xie Yunqi couldn't recognize the fake one.
Or? Has the other party really managed to make the fake look real enough to fool everyone?
Too many doubts flashed through Chu Qingluan's mind, and it was indeed not appropriate for her to show up in person right now.
"elder sister?"
Chu Hong keenly noticed her abnormality and expressed his concern.
Chu Qingluan shook her head, indicating that she was fine, and said, "Let's go!"
The soldier was admonished, and seeing that the man didn't seem to be someone to be trifled with, he didn't dare to make things difficult for him. He waved to the coachman and said, "Alright, let's go. Next!"
The carriage started slowly and drove into the capital.
At the same time, after Xie Yunqi ran for a distance, for some reason, he suddenly felt an indescribable throbbing in his heart.
It's like I've missed something important.
He subconsciously tightened the reins and slowed down. Looking back, he saw a long team entering the city and blurry figures of carriages and people behind him. There was nothing unusual.
Fuan saw him stop and couldn't help but step forward and ask, "What's wrong?"
Xie Yunqi shook his head, "Nothing, let's go."
Then he rode his horse again and headed towards the west mountain.
…
On the other side, Chu Qingluan and Chu Hong's carriages also slowly drove into the capital.
When the familiar street scene comes into view, it is no longer the hustle and bustle of the past, but a deliberately suppressed silence with a certain unease.
Chu Qingluan looked out through the gap in the car curtain and couldn't help but frowned slightly.
Most of the shops along the street were open, but customers were few and far between. The shop assistants were mostly listless, and pedestrians walked hurriedly, rarely smiling. Even if there were children playing around, they would be immediately stopped by adults, fearing that they would cause unnecessary trouble.
The huge capital city seemed to be shrouded in an invisible, oppressive veil, exuding a suffocating sense of stagnation.
Chu Hong obviously also noticed something was wrong.
He signaled the driver to slow down, then got out and asked an old man selling things on the roadside, "Old man, what's going on in the capital lately? Why is it so deserted?"
The old man looked up at them, then glanced around cautiously before sighing, "Ah! It's all because the princess is getting married."
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