Although the group had grown several times larger, their travel speed remained the same, and even increased.
Jiang Kangming and his group knew some side roads, which were bumpier than the official roads but not difficult to travel. They arrived in Jiangnan a month earlier than originally planned.
Outside the Jiangnan region, Gu Yuzhi and his group rested briefly in the woods, while Jiang Kangming, accompanied by one or two guards, went to scout out news about Jiangzhou.
Mr. Huo and Chief Secretary Xie exchanged a glance, both with solemn expressions.
After Gu Yuzhi alighted from the carriage, Chief Secretary Xie asked, "How is the young master's health?"
Because of the bumpy road, Gu Yuzhi was swaying in the carriage and bumped into the carriage several times. So as soon as he was able to ride a horse, Gu Yuzhi couldn't wait to ride one.
Although his inner thigh was chafed again, thanks to the attention of Judge Qin and others, the injury did not worsen. He gritted his teeth and persevered all the way.
He came down late because Judge Qin was examining him.
With a faint smile, Judge Qin said, "It's alright, the scabs have all formed and the medicine powder has been changed. The scabs will fall off in a couple of days."
We've already reached the Jiangnan region, so there's no need to travel day and night like before. His Highness's leg injury can finally get some rest.
Only then did Xie Changshi's face show a smile.
Standing halfway up the mountain, looking down at the deserted official road, Xie Changshi's smile faded again: "Young master, you see, we've been standing here for almost half an hour, but not a single person has passed by on this official road."
Gu Yuzhi looked down in the direction Xie Changshi was pointing, his mind filled with thoughts of the official road in the northern desert.
Before going to the northern desert, his impression of it was that it was barren and desolate, just like Lingnan, a place with few people.
Even in such a desolate and barren place, people often walked along the official road.
The Jiangnan region is where the Sang Dynasty has the most merchants, and it is the wealthiest and most abundant region in the Sang Dynasty.
But in such a place, not a single person passed by on the official road for half an hour.
Something eerie was about it.
Gu Yuzhi's face fell, and then he puffed out his cheeks and said, "Jiangnan is like this now, just like when Quanzhou was sealed off by Bai Jiwu."
He turned and looked up at Chief Secretary Xie: "Something must have happened in Jiangnan!"
Perhaps my elder brother has already secretly taken control of the entire Jiangnan region, Huizhou, Prince Qi...
Gu Yuzhi clenched his little fists. Was he too late?
If something happens to Prince Qi, how heartbroken the guards will be.
Although Guard Qi always complained about how the Prince Qi bullied him whenever he talked about the Prince Qi, he actually envied the way the two brothers got along.
On the other hand, he couldn't imagine his elder brother tapping his head and earnestly persuading him.
If I do something wrong, my elder brother will only mock me!
This is what he has come to understand after corresponding with his elder brother for so long.
Gu Yuzhi pouted, turned around and found a place to sit down: "Chief Secretary Xie, Mr. Huo, please sit down first. You'll know when Guard Jiang returns."
He unconsciously clenched the hem of his clothes, hoping that nothing bad would happen to Prince Qi.
They waited until nightfall, and during those few hours, no one traveled on the official roads of Jiangnan.
Is it that Brother King of Chu is no longer hiding his ambition?
Or did he find some legitimate excuse?
It wasn't until Jiang Kangming returned that Gu Yuzhi roughly understood the current situation in the several prefectures of Jiangnan.
There was no war, no bloodshed, and the King of Chu did not even order the city to be sealed off.
Gu Yuzhi blinked, puzzled, and asked, "Guard Jiang, do you mean that the gates of Jiangzhou are wide open, but no one is coming out or entering the city?"
Guard Jiang nodded in agreement: "That's exactly why we were delayed."
Although there were only three of them, they would normally be an inconspicuous group.
But today the city gates are empty, and if the three of them were to approach, they would definitely be a sight to behold.
Therefore, Jiang Kangming and his two companions did not dare to approach the city gate directly. Instead, they carefully circled the city wall and took advantage of the brief gap during the troop rotation to enter Jiangzhou City.
There was no one outside the city. Although there were people walking around inside the city, it was obvious that they were in a hurry. The shops had closed early, and there were more guards patrolling the streets than in the capital.
Jiang Kangming said in a low voice, "It's like they're on guard against something."
"I wanted to ask more questions, but it was getting dark and the number of patrols on the street had doubled. I didn't dare to go to inns or other places, so I had to come back."
Although Jiang Kangming's expression didn't change much, his tone carried a hint of guilt for not completing the task.
They were out for several hours, and the results of their investigation were obvious to everyone...
Gu Yuzhi didn't take it seriously, gently patted Jiang Kangming's shoulder, and turned to look at Xie Changshi.
They still don't know the situation in Jiangnan, what should they do?
We can't exactly lead three hundred elite soldiers to charge in, can we?
The King of Chu controls the Jiangnan navy and has his own private army. Even if these three hundred elite soldiers fight against a hundred, they will only be sending themselves to their deaths.
Xie Changshi remained silent, turning his gaze to Mr. Huo.
Mr. Huo glanced at the young prince, seeing his expression that said, "You have complete authority," before he spoke: "Give the order to extinguish all the campfires. We'll have to eat dry rations tonight."
"We'll have a 15-minute meal, and then we'll pack up and set off for Huizhou."
As soon as Mr. Huo finished speaking, Guard Zhang and Jiang Kangming rushed down to give orders, and all the campfires were extinguished in an instant, plunging the mountainside, which had been somewhat lit, into darkness.
Mr. Huo then explained to Gu Yuzhi in a low voice, "We are very close to Jiangzhou City. Although there are trees blocking the view, it is hard to guarantee that the patrolling guards will not see the fire."
Gu Yuzhi nodded his head. Mr. Huo had mentioned this to him before, so Gu Yuzhi understood.
He slapped his forehead in frustration. Why hadn't he thought of not starting a fire when he sensed something was wrong in Jiangzhou?
Chief Secretary Xie took out the dry rations he had purchased. Gu Yuzhi took two bites, swallowed with difficulty, and then quickly drank some water. He stuck out his tongue and complained to Chief Secretary Xie in a low voice, "It tastes a bit awful."
Strictly speaking, he hadn't eaten much of this kind of dry food along the way, especially rice cakes with coarse grains, which were really hard to swallow.
Despite his complaints, Gu Yuzhi continued to eat, bite after bite, and finished the entire meal within the allotted time.
When Gu Yuzhi mounted his horse, he choked. He pounded his chest and gulped down two mouthfuls of water before finally swallowing the last bite of rice cake.
He raised his right hand, took a deep breath, and whispered, "Let's go!"
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