Why become a thief?
Returning to the capital from the southwest, after traversing the treacherous plank roads, the area gradually became more populated. The first major city encountered was Yunmeng City.
When Gongye's carriage arrived at the city gate, it was already dusk. Looking out of the carriage window, Aqiu could see a large crowd gathered around the city gate, all of them ordinary people and merchants carrying loads on their shoulders and in their hands, queuing up to enter the city.
With just a glance, A-Qiu sensed that the atmosphere was vastly different from usual. The soldiers on duty at the city gate seemed to be checking everyone, which greatly slowed down the flow of people into the city, and the focus of the checks was mainly on people rather than goods. This was because the soldiers didn't even look at the donkey carts or mule carts carrying goods, but they demanded that even women get off and be inspected when they saw horse-drawn carriages carrying people.
A-Qiu frowned and said, "Has something big happened recently? Judging from the situation, it seems like they're conducting a massive manhunt for wanted criminals."
Gongye Fusu glanced outside, his brow furrowing slightly, and replied, "From the letter I received from my family, there seems to be no unusual activity in the palace. Apart from General Pei leading the Jianzhang Navy to Guangling in the past few days, there have been no major changes in the capital."
A Qiu asked in surprise, "General Pei? Who is that?" She knew quite a few people in the capital, but she had never heard of General Pei before.
Gongye Fusu remembered and immediately explained, "The person you met is Pei Yu, the 'Sword Falcon Guard' of the Eastern Palace Flying Phoenix Guard. After her father, Pei Yuanli, passed away, although she could not immediately take his place as the top military officer, she was highly valued by His Majesty and supported by the veterans of the Jianzhang Army and the sons of powerful military figures. She only needs to achieve actual military merits to secure the position of Grand Commander. I estimate that her trip to Guangling is also to establish military merits in the campaigns outside."
He lowered his voice again and said, "I have recently heard that there are signs of rebellion in the three places of Wu County. Xiao Pei's expedition is probably intended to suppress and warn them."
A-Qiu witnessed firsthand the fall of Pei Yu's father, Pei Yuanli, and was even involved in it. Now, hearing of Pei Yu's whereabouts and reputation, and knowing that she had not become despondent but had risen up to achieve great things, A-Qiu felt both relieved and deeply moved.
Of the four guards of the Eastern Palace, Pei Yu is currently facing the most difficult situation. Shangguan Yuqi and Fan Liancheng both have the protection of their family elders, and Xiao Chang'an is backed by the Lanling Xiao Clan. Only Pei Yu is in a predicament: his father has passed away, his mother Mu Huaying is practically under house arrest, and the battlefield is ruthless and mercenary. He must earn his own merits, and if he makes a mistake, it will be an irreversible tragedy.
Aqiu pondered for a moment and said, "Could this kind of check at the city gate be related to the rebellion in Wu County?"
Gongye Fusu also lifted the curtain and glanced outside again, replying, "It should be nothing. If they were rebels, they would be forming a faction and starting an uprising in their own hometown. Why would one or two people travel thousands of miles to Yunmeng City?" He then looked at Bai Shi and asked with concern, "Miss Bai, are you feeling unwell? Why has your face suddenly turned pale?"
Bai Shi said in a low voice, "I am originally from Wu. When I heard that there was unrest in my hometown, I couldn't help but feel frightened. I was worried that the war would break out again and bring disaster."
A Qiu and Gongye Fusu exchanged a glance, and A Qiu asked, "Painter Bai, is this inspection ahead related to you?"
Having traveled thousands of miles and plotting a rebellion, Bai Shi's situation was quite similar to that of a man from Wu. Although A Qiu also felt that Bai Shi was not the kind of person who could provoke such a strong reaction from the imperial court.
Bai Shi hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Miss, what are you saying? Bai Shi is just a minor disciple of the Zhuyou Sect. Even if I rebelled against the government, I couldn't cause such a big commotion. You're joking, Miss."
Aqiu pondered for a moment and said, "Although we have a clear conscience, I don't want to be noticed in this unfamiliar place. Does Young Master Fusu have a way to help us avoid this inspection?"
Gongye Fusu understood her concerns: after all, A Qiu was the foremost court dancer of the era, a beauty of unparalleled grace; and Bai Shi was also gentle, beautiful, well-educated, and courteous. Taking the two of them on a trip would be like carrying a thousand taels of gold on the road, attracting attention. A Qiu had urgent business to attend to and needed to return to the capital, so she did not want to cause any trouble on her journey.
He smiled and said, "It's alright. The Gongye family still has some influence on this road. You two just stay in the carriage. I'll just say it's a freight truck and there's no one in it."
The Gongye family was the richest family in Dayan, with unimpeded trade routes between the north and south. This trade route was one that they were accustomed to traveling. Ordinary soldiers in the city gates all recognized the Gongye family crest. A Qiu understood that this small matter should not be difficult to handle, so he was relieved.
By the time A Qiu and his group passed, Gongye Fusu had already switched to the carriage in front. A Qiu strained his ears to listen and heard the steward of the Gongye family bowing and scraping to the city guards, saying, "The first two carriages are for passengers; the master is in one of them. You may look around, sir. But these in the back are for spices. We're afraid that opening them might spoil the aroma, so please do us the favor and just take a look."
That's what they said, but they must have secretly slipped some benefits over their sleeves.
The gatekeeper didn't say much. He looked at the carriages in front one by one, but when it came to the carriage carrying Gongye Fusu, Aqiu heard the guard say, "Please, the one inside, show yourself."
A Qiu immediately realized that Gongye Fusu also had a cleanliness obsession and usually wouldn't show himself in front of ordinary people, mostly hiding behind silk curtains. He must be doing the same in the carriage right now.
The steward hurriedly said, "Sir, this is our master." He then leaned closer and whispered, "Our master is of noble status. He is someone that many high-ranking officials in the capital would never see. We have traveled this road countless times. Please do us a favor." Then, the rustling sound of cloth and metal clanging could be heard, indicating that the steward was stuffing other ingredients into the pot.
A-Qiu and Bai-Shi exchanged a glance, vaguely sensing that this matter was far from simple.
As the steward said, the Gongye family frequently traveled this road and were not strangers. If it were just a routine check, they should have let it pass. Who would have thought that they would even check Gongye Fusu's own carriage and wanted to check Gongye Fusu himself?
The soldier knew that the man was from the capital, so he didn't dare to act rashly. He simply cupped his hands and said, "We are under pressure from above and are just following orders. We only ask that you show your face, young master. Once we have a look, we will consider our mission complete and will not delay your journey any further. Please do us this favor."
At this moment, A Qiu's vigilance and surprise intensified. With Gongye Fusu's dignified and imposing demeanor, even if he were sitting across a screen, or even just glancing at him from afar, he would immediately know that he was no ordinary person who could come from a small place like Yunmeng. Yet this junior soldier dared not let him go and even wanted to take a look, which clearly showed that this investigation was no small matter.
Moreover, among the wanted criminals, there must be someone whose build and appearance are similar to Gongye Fusu. Otherwise, if the wanted person were a bald, pot-bellied fat man or a burly mountain bandit, a single glance through the screen would be enough to tell that it wasn't him.
Normally, Gongye Fusu, with his immense wealth, would never want to show himself in front of such a vulgar person. But considering that A Qiu and Bai Shi were behind the carriage, he thought it best to avoid trouble and coldly said, "Remove the screen and let this military officer take a look."
The steward hurriedly ordered someone to move a corner of the screen in the carriage. The soldier only glanced at it and dared not look again. He repeatedly said "excuse me" and walked away.
The two or three carts ahead of A Qiu were all loaded with spices. When it came to A Qiu's cart, the foreman tried to fool them all and hurriedly waved for it to pass quickly. But this cart really didn't look like a cargo cart. Embroidered curtains fluttered in front of it, brocade curtains hung on the windows, and a faint fragrance wafted from it.
Normally, the guards at the gate would turn a blind eye and let it pass. But now, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the guard, having learned his lesson from the previous incident with Gongye Fusu's carriage, dared not touch it. Instead, he pointed and said, "Please let us see everyone inside, whether they are wives or family members. Once we have verified that they are not the people we are looking for, we will release them immediately."
Although Gongye Fusu was extremely composed, he was now secretly angered. This was not because he was arrogant, but because even in the capital, as the ruler of Wanxiang Kingdom, no noble family or imperial guard dared to search his carriage and family members when he entered and left the palace. Here, however, a city guard was ransacking his belongings and searching him like a thief, and he immediately intended to shout to stop him.
The manager looked troubled, when he heard Ah Qiu calmly say from inside the carriage, "It's alright, just lift the curtain and let them see."
At the same time, he spoke in a chord, relaying a message to Gongye Fusu, the charioteer: "Their formal and high-profile search, without posting any arrest warrants at the city gates, is highly suspicious. Let them take a look."
By this time, A Qiu had already secretly calculated that even Gongye Fusu himself was not exempt from this search, let alone women who were traveling with the caravan. There was no use hiding from what was coming, so she might as well let the soldiers see it, and whether there was trouble or not, she would clear the way through mountains and build bridges over rivers.
Moreover, she already had a vague premonition.
Ordinary people wouldn't warrant such a thorough investigation by the state government. Even if they were notorious bandits, it wouldn't be necessary to investigate the caravan of Gongye, the richest family in Dayan.
These soldiers didn't even spare the master and women of the Gongye family, scrutinizing them all. It's likely that their targets weren't outlaws, but rather the wealthy and powerful.
More likely, they came specifically for their group.
But as for why, she couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried.
Gongye Fusu was about to speak up to stop them, but upon hearing A Qiu's words, he held back and said, "Manager, lift the curtain."
The steward was sweating profusely. He hunched over and lifted the embroidered curtain in front of the carriage, but he dared not look inside. He had seen the two beautiful girls in the carriage when they got on, and knew that they were the young master's friends. He dared not look at them for even a moment longer.
The soldier glanced inside sideways for a moment, then froze for a second.
The steward wiped away his cold sweat and said in a gruff voice, "Sir, have you looked carefully? These are our young master's two cousins, both daughters of wealthy families. It's only because you insisted on seeing them that the young ladies agreed to lift the curtain."
The soldier seemed to snap out of a daze and said blankly, "It's alright. You can go now."
As he inspected the people and vehicles below, he muttered to himself, "I've really run into some important people at the city gate today. They're all as handsome as gods."
After entering the city for about ten paces, A Qiu called out to the outside of the carriage, "Would you please trouble this steward to ask who exactly they are looking for?"
The steward responded and left. Gongye Fusu, who was ahead, heard this and returned to Aqiu's carriage, asking, "Is the young lady worried about something?"
A Qiu said in a deep voice, "I have a feeling that things won't be peaceful along the way. I wonder who they're after with this arrest."
Bai Shi, the most timid of them all, suddenly changed color and said, "But we have never committed any crimes, so we shouldn't be able to be found."
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