Chapter 43 Leaving the City
Liang Chengqiu's gaze swept over Song Luoning, then looked out of the courtyard without lingering. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I have some connections with the owner here. Tomorrow morning, we'll follow the oxcart that the restaurant uses to go out of the city to buy goods."
It turns out it was all planned out in advance. Who could enter the city and arrange everything so methodically in such a short time? Their meticulousness is chilling and certainly warrants caution.
After calming down, Xiao Yu's attitude became much more composed: "Then I'll have to trouble Officer Liang."
Let's leave here first.
Liang Chengqiu briefly explained the plan to them, and the group stayed in the room in the backyard for the time being. The atmosphere was somewhat silent. Song Luoning sat upright on the stool with a tense expression, while Liang Chengqiu stood with his back to the door, looking at the sky. Neither of them seemed to be thinking about anything.
Xiao Yu pursed her lips, glanced at Chen Yu who was idly playing with a cup, looking as innocent as a fool, and couldn't help but roll her eyes. Right now, it seemed like this fool was the most innocent person around. It wasn't that she didn't want to trust the young lady, it was just...
Thinking about all this, Xiao Yu felt somewhat lost.
She seemed isolated and alone. Why did that Prince Chang capture the original owner of this body? The novel doesn't explain the original owner's situation, nor does it explain this part in the story of the male protagonist's gradual rise to power.
Or perhaps her transmigration altered the plot, causing a series of butterfly effects. The female lead alone deviated from the original storyline, marrying her for no reason and severing ties with the male lead. The young lady even harbored a strange hostility towards the male lead.
Looking at the young lady now, it seems she is hiding a secret that Song Luoning doesn't know. She believes that Song Luoning won't harm her, but she feels strange, a little angry and a little wronged.
The four of them stayed in the backyard. Meals were only brought to them at mealtimes. Otherwise, no one bothered them. At night, Chen Yu slept on the round table, while the other three sat there almost all night.
The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.
At Chenshi (7-9 AM), the manager brought over two restaurant workers dressed in gray short-sleeved shirts. Except for Xiao Yu, the others had all changed into the same style of coarse cloth short-sleeved shirts and put on makeup to look like waiters.
The shopkeeper had two oxcarts brought from under the wall. To carry more goods, the carts were made with extra space, making them wider than usual.
Six people, three in a bullock cart, left Mingpinlou and headed straight for the city gate. There were hardly any people on the streets today. Yesterday's indiscriminate arrests had caused widespread panic. Ordinary people dared not fight against the officials and would hide if they could. They didn't necessarily want to see this spectacle.
There were many more soldiers at the city gate than yesterday, and upon closer inspection, the protagonist Xiao Chengze was among them. Meanwhile, the people at the city gate were all entering the city, with no one leaving.
Seeing this, Xiao Yu's heart tightened, and he felt a little uneasy, fearing that the city might be sealed off directly, and then he wouldn't be able to leave the city.
At this moment, the oxcart stopped at the corner near the city gate, and Liang Chengqiu jumped off the oxcart.
"......"
Standing straight against the light, he said, "Wait a moment and make sure you leave at the right time. I have some things to take care of. Madam Xiao is at the Wind and Rain Pavilion, about five miles from the city gate. Just keep walking northwest and you'll see her."
"Aren't you coming with us?" Xiao Yu didn't understand why they weren't leaving with them.
A flicker of emotion crossed Liang Chengqiu's otherwise expressionless face. He glanced at the city gate and said firmly, "If we don't do something, we probably won't be able to leave for the time being."
Xiao Yu paused for a moment, then nodded as if she understood.
Liang Chengqiu turned and ran towards the alley opposite. He was agile and his figure quickly disappeared at the end of the alley.
Xiao Yu stared at the alleyway where Liang Chengqiu's message was posted for a while in silence. Actually, this was quite good. She was able to get out of trouble, and there was one less uncertain factor around her.
After thinking it through, she habitually touched her nose and said, "Mother..." Then she changed the subject and asked, "Miss, what do you think Constable Liang went to do?"
She was trying to make conversation, feeling nervous and rubbing her hands together nervously, trying to find something to ease her anxiety.
Song Luoning turned her head, her fair cheeks slightly flushed with a healthy blush, like a touch of red seeping into white jade under the sun. The sickly young lady's appearance was beautiful and gentle, like a spring breeze.
Song Luoning said coldly, "You really want to know?"
Xiao Yu remained silent, sitting obediently, occasionally glancing around out of the corner of her eye. Chen Yu, in the other oxcart, was also getting restless, glancing around every now and then: "I wonder if we can get out?"
Song Luoning: "Wait a little longer."
The three fell silent again, and Xiao Yu secretly squeezed Song Luo Ning's hand.
About a breath later, a group of soldiers suddenly ran past. Xiao Yu deliberately lowered his head and waited for them to pass. Not long after, Xiao Chengze led his men away in a hurry.
Xiao Yu and Song Luoning exchanged a knowing glance: "Right now!"
Two drivers pulled the oxcart to the city gate.
Soldier A: "What are you doing?"
Shop assistant: "Mingpinlou is out of town to get supplies."
Soldier A: "Show me your identification documents."
The waiter pulled out his identification document from his pocket. The soldier glanced at it and then looked at the men behind him: "What about yours? Take them out."
Xiao Yu was startled. Wouldn't taking it out give her away? The soldiers were closing in step by step, and her heart was pounding in her throat. She subconsciously clenched her sleeves.
There are ten soldiers at the city gate, and five of us. Each of them is armed. What do they have?
Even if she's physically fit and can run the race like a sports student, what about the young lady? She'll definitely get caught.
As the soldiers continued to approach, Xiao Yu pretended to take out documents, her palms sweating as she mentally calculated her next move.
With his other hand, he reached for the rope on the car floor and slowly squeezed it in his hand. Before the other person noticed, he might be able to use the rope to strangle him and get rid of him.
Soldier A: "And yours?"
Xiao Yu's hand tightened, and he waited for the right moment to make his move.
Just then, the leading officer walked over: "These people are indeed from Mingpinlou."
Soldier A stopped: "Then let's go."
Xiao Yu breathed a long sigh of relief, shifting her weight to her other hand as she braced herself against the cart floor.
The officers and soldiers in charge were the same team that had been sent to search Mingpinlou yesterday. It was supposed to be a great job, but who knew that the owner of Mingpinlou would be there? He insisted on sending the shopkeeper to the Prince of Chang's mansion to demand compensation. In the end, he squeezed a lot of money out of the Prince of Chang, and the next day he was assigned to guard the city gate.
Therefore, when he encounters people from Mingpinlou, he just wants to avoid them. After all, even a prince would suffer losses if he saw the owner, so how could a nobody like him afford to offend him? Besides, the driver was indeed a waiter from Mingpinlou, whom he had seen yesterday.
Once the oxcart left the city, it sped off in a northwest direction.
Jiang Wanrou and the little girl were found at the Wind and Rain Pavilion.
Following the sound of wheels, Jiang Wanrou immediately spotted Xiao Yu dressed in women's clothing. Her brow twitched, and her first thought was that this unfortunate child's identity had been discovered by others.
People are often more afraid of knowing the truth when they feel guilty, yet they are also eager to know. In short, Jiang Wanrou is currently very conflicted.
Chen Yu jumped off the carriage first, rushed over and threw herself into Jiang Wanrou's arms and cried. Her crying moved Jiang Wanrou, and the anger she had just felt dissipated.
The little girl stood aside, secretly wiping away tears. Xiao Yu took a step back, grasped Song Luoning's hand, and turned to wink at her.
Suddenly her hand was grasped, and Song Luoning's fair face flushed red. She wanted to pull her hand away, but in the end, she pursed her lips and acquiesced to her action.
The two shop assistants from Mingpinlou delivered the person and then turned the oxcart around in another direction, presumably to buy more goods.
Xiao Yuqing coughed, trying to interrupt the two who were crying their eyes out: "Um... let's go first, what if they catch up with us?"
Chen Yu lifted her head from Jiang Wanrou's embrace and sobbed, "Aunt, my cousin is right, let's go first."
She was still somewhat alarmed by what had happened in the past two days.
There were two carriages when they came out, one of which was left at Mingpinlou. Now only one remains, and five people can ride in one carriage.
Just as the group was about to board the carriage, the little girl asked, "Where's Officer Liang? Aren't we going to wait for her?"
Jiang Wanrou rubbed her head: "Let's leave here first. Officer Liang is highly skilled in martial arts, so we shouldn't worry. If we stay, we'll only cause her trouble."
She didn't know whether it would cause trouble or not. What she was more worried about right now was Xiao Yu's identity and why the Prince of Chang wanted to arrest her.
They didn't think they had any connection with that damned Prince Chang. If they had to say they had some connection, they would have to go back to the time of Emperor Taizu. Although they were now considered to be direct descendants of Emperor Taizu, they had fallen into decline. To put it bluntly, they were just ordinary people now, and they couldn't compare to the powerful Prince Chang.
It poses no threat to anyone.
The young maid nodded, looking bewildered.
Jiang Wanrou said with a serious expression, "Chen Yu and the little girl drive the carriage. Ayu and Luo Ning, get in the carriage. I have something to tell you."
The group boarded the carriage, with Chen Yu and the maid driving, heading towards the capital.
The atmosphere inside the carriage was somewhat serious. Jiang Wanrou's expression was inscrutable, her gaze falling on her daughter's and Song Luoning's hands clasped tightly together, further confirming her previous guesses.
I've heard of the saying "sharing a peach with a man" before, and seeing my daughter's worthless smile, it's all for the best. Given her status, it's impossible for my daughter to get married. I really can't bear to let her grow old alone. If this girl is willing now, even though the two of them won't have children in the future, it would be good to grow old together.
Jiang Wanrou considered for a moment and said to Song Luoning, "You should know Ayu's identity by now. I am very pleased to see that you do not despise her because of this. I will entrust Ayu to you from now on. However, as you know, Ayu's ancestors were the direct descendants of the founding emperor. Even if she no longer has a title, she will still be included in the family genealogy. Ayu's father died early, and Ayu was born posthumously. At that time, there were uncles and elders in the family who coveted the family property. I had no choice but to raise her as a boy from a young age. If her identity is revealed, it will be a crime of deceiving the emperor. What you are doing today is really absurd."
Song Luoning frowned, pondered for a moment, and lowered her eyes: "Mother-in-law is right. I did not consider things carefully today."
Why blame the young lady?
Hearing his stepmother's words, Xiao Yu couldn't sit still any longer. Why was she saying these things to the young lady? Her words were implied as criticisms of the young lady, while she herself couldn't bear to say a word.
Xiao Yu: "It's my choice to wear women's clothing, it has nothing to do with my wife."
Song Luoning's heart skipped a beat. She turned to look at her. Xiao Yu was smiling at her like a fool. Sunlight dappled through the carriage, casting shadows on her face. It was a little dazzling, and Song Luoning couldn't help but squint and look away.
Jiang Wanrou couldn't bear to watch any longer. She forced a smile and said to the two of them, "We don't have any clothes for you here. Why don't you exchange your clothes?"
It's really upsetting to look at.
Xiao Yu was dressed in women's clothing, while Song Luoning was dressed in a waiter's uniform.
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