The streets were completely blocked by people who had packed up the roads leading out of the capital.
The people stood ramrod straight, their gazes unwavering, conveying both control and anger.
"Your Majesty the Regent, you cannot let Prince Heng of Yan leave!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, Princess An, the Prince of Yan has been having an affair with Chen Jingshu, which has disgraced our Yue Kingdom. You cannot let him leave."
"Perhaps the Prince of Yan was also involved in Yue Zhixiao and Chen Jingshu's plot to rebel."
"If that's the case, then the late emperor died at a young age, which might have been caused by Prince Heng of Yan and Chen Jingshu."
Murdering the late emperor is nothing like having an affair with the imperial concubine. If they are convicted, it will be difficult for them to leave the capital again.
Cheng Ying frowned, her brows furrowed, and her eyes narrowed into slits, revealing a fierce expression.
"How dare you! How dare you lowly commoners discuss your master?"
Cheng Ying drew his long sword and pointed it at the people who had just been talking nonsense.
The civilians, with knives pointed at them, suddenly felt unable to breathe and turned deathly pale.
“Prince Heng, this is still the Yue Kingdom, no matter what. It is probably inappropriate for your guards to act in this way.”
Yue Xiyuan's tone seemed like a joke, but a closer listen to the last few words revealed a cold and fierce edge that sent a chill down one's spine.
“Cheng Ying should not be rude. It is Cheng Ying who has been ignorant of etiquette. I hope the Regent will not take offense.”
"I will let it go today for the sake of Prince Heng. But if there is a next time, Prince Heng's guards will be in serious trouble."
"Cheng Ying should thank the Regent immediately."
"Thank you, Regent."
Yan Shaoheng clutched his chest, his brows furrowed, his teeth clenched, and his face revealed unbearable pain.
"Your Majesty, since there is nothing else, I shall set off."
"Prince Heng, we'll meet again!"
Until we meet again!
Yan Shaoheng's lips curled up, his eyes gleaming with a cunning light, a playful expression on his face.
Yue Xiyuan stared at the car heading towards the city gate. "Yue Xiyuan, Yan Shaoheng is definitely plotting something."
"Okay, we'll talk about it when we get back."
As soon as they arrived at the Yan residence, they ran into Yan Cheng.
"Father."
"father in law."
"uncle."
"Are you going to see Prince Heng off?"
"Yes, Yan Shaoheng has just left."
"Are there any disturbances among the people?"
"My father-in-law was indeed incredibly insightful."
"Alas, the people are able to live in peace and prosperity today thanks to the late emperor, who overpowered the three kingdoms and signed a peace treaty, thus avoiding war. The late emperor passed away early, and now he has been replaced by others... Alas, how can the people not have objections?"
In the eyes of the people of Yue, the late emperor was a rare and excellent emperor.
"What the people think is what I think."
"You guys go ahead with your work, I'm going to find your mother."
"Junior sister, your uncle and aunt really are as loving as the rumors say."
"What? Are you envious?"
"I'm envious, of course I'm envious. To have such a loving wife and two such adorable children, of course I'm envious."
Yue Xiyuan scrutinized Su Jingzhan from head to toe. "Cute? That's a bit hard to say."
"What do you mean, Yue Xiyuan! I'm handsome and dashing, how could my child not be cute!"
"Give me an explanation!"
The only response to Su Jingzhan was Yue Xiyuan's tall and straight back.
"Tomorrow is the day Yue Zhixiao will be beheaded, yet Yan Shaoheng is setting off back to Yan at this time. What kind of conspiracy is behind this?"
Yan An frowned, his eyes filled with doubt and confusion.
“I went to the moat again yesterday, but there was still nothing suspicious.”
"Even if we can rescue Yue Zhixiao and the others, they should have an escape route. Land or water, is there some other way?"
Su Jingzhan didn't stand on ceremony and poured himself a cup of tea.
“Senior brother is right. Even if we rescue Yue Zhixiao, they will still need a way to leave Yue Kingdom. Since we cannot find out how they will rescue Yue Zhixiao and Chen Jingshu, we should try to intercept them in the process.”
"I have already thought of this method. I have arranged for soldiers to set up ambushes between the Yue Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom, without exception, whether on official roads or country lanes."
"As for water transport, the only river passing through the capital is the moat, and I have already sent people to set up an ambush there."
Yan An agreed with Yue Xiyuan's approach, adding, "There's also air transport."
"air transport?"
Su Jingzhan repeated Yan An's words in a questioning tone.
"Yes, by air."
"Is An'an referring to something like Venerable Bai Qing's mount?"
"Yes, a huge flying machine that can carry people."
"Junior sister, that kind of bird that can fly and is that big, I guess only your master, my senior uncle, has it."
"Not necessarily." Yue Xiyuan pondered Yan An's words for a while and found them to make a lot of sense.
Do you remember those traps and mechanisms on the moat?
"I remember, it was a group of us who went together."
"The mechanisms on the moat were made by Ji Yuan, but how would Yue Zhixiao know about them? Either he is familiar with mechanisms, or Yan Shaoheng is knowledgeable about them."
"So you mean Yan Shaoheng might use mechanical devices to rescue them?"
Su Jingzhan found it somewhat unbelievable.
"That's possible."
"If air transport is possible, then water transport is certainly not out of the question."
"Xiyuan, Junior Sister, what you're saying is getting more and more outrageous."
“I think An’an is right. The art of mechanisms is unpredictable and ingenious, perhaps far beyond our imagination.”
Yan An took out paper and pen. "Look, this is the moat. It's about two hundred feet deep and over two thousand feet wide. Our area is too large."
"But Xiyuan, there are only twelve hours left now."
"Where we live, there is something that can freely dive in water. In 1620, the Dutch physicist Cornelius Drebbels successfully built the first submarine in human history. The hull of this submarine was made of wood and covered with greased cowhide. Inside the hull were sheepskin bags used as ballast tanks. When diving, the sheepskin bags were filled with water. When surfacing, the water in the sheepskin bags was squeezed out. When sailing, it was propelled by manpower using wooden oars."
“An’an, I’ve never heard of this thing you’re talking about, at least not on the Tiancang Continent.”
Yan An nodded. "I've never heard of it either, nor have I ever seen it, but didn't you say that if it's not Yue Zhixiao, it must be Yan Shaoheng, who is proficient in mechanical arts? So we have to be on guard."
"It's impossible to block the entire moat now. I'll go back to the Dark Pavilion and think of a solution."
"Be careful. I'm going to Prince Xiao's residence. It's always safer to have someone watching over things."
"Junior sister, I'll go with you."
One of the three went to the Dark Pavilion, and the other two went to the Prince Xiao's Mansion. This day was destined to be anything but peaceful.
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