Chapter 144 Calling for help
She did not wipe the blood off her armor, but walked fearlessly into the street with the bloody knife in her hand. Frightened by her aura and the smell of blood on her body, passers-by cast terrified glances at her and avoided her.
Minglan originally planned to quietly return to the Sheng Mansion, disguise herself a little, and ride out of the city, but the frequent patrols on the streets in front of her made her suspicious, wondering if they were searching or monitoring. The Sheng family had already offended Prince Yong, and she could not go back and cause more trouble for her family, so she decided to change her strategy.
Minglan walked aimlessly on the street, and gradually came up with a plan in her mind, and turned her steps towards the direction of Ma Xing Street. On the way to Ma Xing Street, Minglan happened to pass by the East City Gate. She quietly hid in the dark and observed. Although the number of soldiers guarding the city had doubled, they did not restrict the people from leaving the city, and the management was not strict.
At this time, a team of people slowly approached the city gate, which attracted Minglan's attention.
A soldier guarding the city smiled and asked the leader of the team for news: "Lieutenant General Li, are you from the Imperial City? How is the battle situation over there, has the prince already entered the Imperial City?"
Lieutenant General Li glanced at the inquiring soldier with a cold eye, and said in a tone of arrogance, "Guard your city gates, don't let suspicious people in, and don't ask about other things that you shouldn't ask."
Hearing this, Minglan noticed that the control of people leaving the city was not strict, but the control of people entering the city was watertight, and no one was allowed to enter the city. It was obvious that Prince Yong was defending the city with all his might, fearing that reinforcements would come to rescue him.
The soldiers guarding the city did not seem to mind Lieutenant General Li's indifference, and continued to flatter him, "We are just small characters, how can we be compared with Lieutenant General Li. You are General Li's nephew and the prince's right-hand man. When the prince ascends the throne in the future, it is only natural for you to be made a marquis and a prime minister. We are just concerned about the war situation and want to share in the joy in advance."
Lieutenant General Li's face lightened a little after hearing this, and he looked at the soldiers for a few more times. "I appreciate your kindness, but it's too early to celebrate. You still have to guard the city gates. However, when I came, the prince had already breached the Daqing Gate, and the Chuigong Palace is just around the corner. When the Fu Ning Palace is breached, the imperial seal will be in the prince's pocket. When the new emperor ascends the throne, the whole world can celebrate." As soon as
these words came out, everyone around them showed joy and laughed.
After Lieutenant General Li inspected the area, he led the team away. After Lieutenant General Li and his party left, the soldiers guarding the city who were smiling flatteringly just now immediately changed their expressions, spat on the ground, and cursed in a low voice: "Bah, what a capable general, he just has a good aunt and married a good husband, but he comes to us to act so arrogantly." This scene was also watched silently by Minglan who was hiding in the dark, thinking secretly in her heart.
Minglan wore a suit of armor and wandered to Ma Xing Street. The prosperous street that used to be crowded with people, but today there were few people to be seen. The wind swept over, revealing a bit of desolation. Minglan walked straight to a stable, which was where she and Zhang Guifen often came in the past. They played polo and needed good horses to accompany them. Zhang Guifen said that the horses here were the best in the whole city of Bianjing, so the two of them often came here to look at the horses.
Minglan entered the store, sat down with her sword and axe, and pretended to speak in a deep voice, "Shopkeeper, pick a good horse for me, put a good saddle on it, and pack a day's worth of dry food for the horse. I need it on official business, and it's urgent, hurry up!"
The shopkeeper saw that she was dressed like a soldier and was quite arrogant, so he didn't dare to offend her. He treated her with good tea and water, "Military officer, you take a rest, and the small one you want will be prepared for you right away."
Minglan didn't answer, but just slapped the bloody knife on the edge of the table, without raising her head, just raised her eyebrows, "I want the best horse, and quickly!" After that, she picked up the tea bowl to drink tea, and waved her hand to let the shopkeeper go quickly.
The shopkeeper walked towards the stable with a bitter face and picked the best horse for Minglan. The shopkeeper had a big horse farm in the huge city of Bianjing, and he must have a backer. However, the situation was turbulent at the time, and the shopkeeper didn't want to be the first to take action. He was also unsure of Minglan's background, but he saw that she was arrogant, so he made the arrangement for Minglan.
But within an incense stick of time, Minglan could vaguely hear the powerful snorting of the horse.
She followed the sound and walked lightly to the edge of the racecourse. She saw a horse standing leisurely on the racecourse. The horse's coat was shiny and occasionally shone with blue-purple luster in the sun. Its body was slender and strong, its limbs and muscles were tight, and its lines were smooth. The mane and tail were gently fluttering in the wind. The shopkeeper led the horse over. Minglan saw that the horse was steady and powerful every time its hoof fell, and it was a good horse that could gallop thousands of miles.
Minglan took the reins, checked the saddle and the horse's fodder, and immediately climbed on the horse. Sitting on the horse, Minglan tilted her head slightly and looked back at the shopkeeper with a contemptuous attitude. The shopkeeper stood with his head down under her power. She casually took out a golden hairpin from her sleeve and threw it lightly. The golden hairpin drew an arc in the air and finally landed steadily at the shopkeeper's feet.
The shopkeeper picked up the golden hairpin, and when he raised his head again, Minglan had already ridden the horse and rushed out of the horse farm like an arrow from a bow, leaving only a series of gradually fading horse hoof sounds.
Minglan spurred the horse and whipped it, heading straight for the East Gate, with a momentum like a rainbow. As the sound of horse hooves approached the east city gate, she calmly took out a heavy military token from her arms, held it high in the air, and shouted in a clear and majestic voice: "Get out of the way! This general has urgent official business to go out of the city on orders from the prince!"
The horse seemed to sense its owner's urgency, and it galloped over with all its hooves speeding, but there was no sign of slowing down. Seeing this, the soldier who was guarding the city wanted to step forward to stop them, but when his eyes touched the military token and the unquestionable majesty emanating from Minglan, he couldn't help but feel a little awed. He didn't study in detail why it was not the prince's token but a military token, nor did he notice whether the general on the horse was a man or a woman. After a moment of hesitation, Minglan rode her horse and passed through the East Gate unimpeded, galloping towards her destination, leaving behind only a series of crisp horse hoof sounds and the slightly confused eyes of the soldiers guarding the city. After leaving the city gate
, Minglan let out a long breath, and a sly smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She had been hiding in the dark and observing before, and she had seen through the mind of the soldier guarding the city, knowing that he was good at observing words and expressions and bullying the weak and fearing the strong. She deliberately used the intimidation of power to release the aura of the superior. As she expected, the local soldiers did not check the military token she took out, nor did they stop her, allowing her to pass unhindered.
Minglan did not delay any longer, relying on the memory of the "County Map of the World" and the "Geographical Map" in her mind, and rushed towards the direction of Yuzhou without stopping.