Su Wan and Chu Mingyao were overjoyed to see Chu Yi appear out of nowhere.
Chu Yi said, "Third Sister, Miss Su, don't dirty your hands. I'll handle these two people."
He was quite strong; he lifted one in each hand, threw the two constables onto the bed, and covered them with a blanket. Then he turned to the two men and said, "We'd better leave quickly. If the two guards are missing, the night patrol will definitely come to investigate once they see them."
Given the urgency of the situation, Su Wan led Chu Mingyao out the door, and Chu Yi locked the door. The three of them then went to the courtyard wall facing the street.
"Brother Chu...," Su Wan called out to Chu Yi.
Chu Yi had saved her several times, so she felt embarrassed to call him by his name directly anymore.
Chu Yi leaped onto the wall and smiled at her, "What, Miss Su, do you want to thank me properly? Then let's go back to Southern Chu together after we leave Suiyang."
Chu Mingyao said to Chu Yi, "Seventh brother, stop making trouble. Your sister has already married the Crown Prince of Great Jin."
Chu Yi lowered his belt and said to Chu Mingyao, "Third sister, you know perfectly well the agreement between us and the family of divine physicians. I came to Youzhou this time to find Miss Su."
Su Wan wrapped the belt around her wrist and said to the two men, "Brother Chu, Sister Chu, now is not the time to discuss this. Let's figure out how to get out of here first, and we can talk about this later."
Chu Yi pulled her up to the top of the wall, made her stand on the roof ridge, untied the belt, and lowered it down to Chu Mingyao, saying, "Third sister, tie the belt around your waist, I'll pull you up."
He pulled Chu Mingyao up again, but before he could speak, a string of lights approached the courtyard from afar. Chu Yi looked up and frowned, saying, "Oh no, the night patrol officers are coming."
Su Wan was also startled. If the patrolling constables saw that the two guards of the courtyard were gone, they would definitely come to check and find that Chu Mingyao had escaped, and they would immediately begin a city-wide search.
Chu Yi said, "Third Sister, Miss Su, I need to distract this group. You two find a place to go down and meet up with Miss Su's guards at the inn."
Su Wan said, "Okay, Brother Chu, be careful."
Chu Yi smiled at her, took something from his pocket and placed it in her hand, then leaped down from the wall and quickly headed towards the approaching patrol team. It's unclear what he said, but the patrol team turned and walked away with him.
Su Wan felt a long, thin box in her hand, but couldn't see what it was. She tucked it into her belt and said to Chu Mingyao, "Sister Chu, let's walk slowly on the roof and find a lower place to go down."
By the moonlight, she could vaguely see two rooftops and a pile of boxes outside the wall. She and Chu Mingyao could go down from there.
Before she could even lift her foot, Chu Mingyao grabbed her arm and whispered, "Sister, I can't go."
Su Wan was somewhat surprised and asked, "Why?"
"Your Highness is still imprisoned here, I can't leave," Chu Mingyao whispered. "I can't just leave Your Highness like this."
Su Wan said, "Sister, I know His Highness is imprisoned here. But there's nothing we can do to rescue him. He'll be alright."
“I know,” Chu Mingyao said, her body trembling. “I want to see him. As long as I see that he is safe, I can leave in peace.”
The Western Rong Crown Prince Danma was different from her. Before her marriage, she was a princess of Southern Chu, and Ge Fanghai was a spy sent by the Southern Chu emperor, so he dared not do anything excessive to her. But Danma was different; she was very worried.
Su Wan understood the situation and said, "I understand your feelings, sister. If my husband is imprisoned here, I want to make sure he is safe. But the people of Youzhou are in imminent danger. Sister, promise me that as long as we see the Crown Prince safe, we will leave as soon as possible. We must stop the Western Rong army from attacking."
Chu Mingyao was moved and squeezed Su Wan's hand tightly, saying, "Sister, you are so understanding. Let's go."
Su Wan led Chu Mingyao along carefully, moving along the rooftop of the county government office. She wasn't particularly good at this, but Chu Yi had taken her there once before, so she had a general grasp of how to walk on the sloping rooftop.
The two walked and stopped, wandering around, and it took them a full hour to reach the top of a building in the front courtyard of the county government office.
"Sister, I really can't walk anymore," Chu Mingyao said, squatting on the rooftop. "We've walked past more than a dozen houses, but we haven't found any trace of His Highness. Perhaps they've locked him up in prison?"
Su Wan said, "Sister, His Highness is the Crown Prince of Xirong, Ge Fanghai and the others won't do anything to him. Let's take a look inside this house."
After saying that, she reached out and gently pried open a crack in the tile. Light and voices from inside immediately rushed out through the crack.
"General, you're saying this is the Emperor of Jin's intention?" Ge Fanghai's angry voice rang out. "Don't try to play me for a fool."
"Of course, we're in cahoots, would I lie to you?" A voice that sounded somewhat familiar to Su Wan rang out, equally angry.
Su Wan's heart stirred, and she lifted the tiles a little more, peering into the house.
In the brightly lit room, Ge Fanghai and a military officer sat directly below her, separated by a table. The teapot and fruit plate on the table were overturned, as if someone had slammed the table. She couldn't see the officer's face from above, but she was certain she'd heard that voice more than once.
The military officer said, "Lord Ge, I've made myself clear. Believe it or not, it's up to you. The Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty is very wary of the Northwest Army. At its peak, the Northwest Army numbered over 100,000. Do you think any emperor could tolerate the existence of such an army?"
Ge Fanghai said, "Alright, I'll believe you for now. Does that mean the Great Jin Emperor won't care if we conquer Youzhou?"
The military officer said, "Since I have pledged allegiance to Southern Chu, we are all family and there is no need for formalities. I can tell Lord Ge with certainty that the Emperor of Jin is more than happy to see this happen. To him, losing a province is no big deal, as long as Zhao Xian is eliminated."
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