Chapter 161: Dual Disguise
Wen Wan smiled complacently, "Right. Suppose the person they're looking for is someone with a birthmark, and they're not sure who among those with a birthmark is the one they're looking for. Then do they have to cast a wide net?"
"I guess they wanted to use the banknotes as an excuse to keep the person with the birthmark, so they came up with this idea."
"Besides, since they're willing to spend a lot of money, maybe the person they're looking for is someone they can't afford to offend. So they want to control us, but they also want to give us some sweet deals and sell us a good deal in advance."
These words made Zhou Lingling, who was not very smart to begin with, even worse off. A bunch of chirping birds were chirping in his brain.
He heard every word, but when they were put together, he didn't quite understand it.
Fortunately, he has one advantage: when he can't figure something out, he never dwells on it.
"Forget it, the process isn't important. So, you mean they don't plan to let us go back?"
When this was mentioned, Wen Wan's face darkened.
"Not only can we not go back, we don't even know where to send us. But there's no need to worry too much. Judging from the current situation, they won't take any action against us until they're sure who among us is the one they're looking for."
The more Zhou Lingling listened, the more frightened she became. The Empress Dowager was a powerful figure, and in her eyes, these little people were just ants.
"What I mean is, among the five of us, maybe one is the person they're looking for. If that person is found, then the remaining four..."
Zhou Lingling didn't dare to say anything further, but she already had the answer in her heart.
Wen Wan sighed deeply, "The only thing we can do now is to take it one step at a time and try to escape before they are sure of their mistake."
*
Just as Wen Wan expected, the carriage was not heading back to Haicheng.
During this time, Wen Wan lifted the curtain and looked out. The people accompanying the carriage were no longer the Wei family guards, but strong men in black who appeared out of nowhere.
Other young people also noticed this situation, and some of them immediately started making a noise, seemingly arguing with the man in black.
However, the arguing soon died down, and the young man who spoke remained silent throughout the journey.
As night fell, the carriage finally stopped.
Several young men got off the carriage tremblingly.
One of them was unconscious, but had no external injuries. He must have been fed a secret medicine and passed out. He was carried away by two men in black.
A middle-aged man holding a knife announced loudly to everyone.
"We are escorts on the road, and we have received secret orders from the Empress Dowager to escort the envoy Qiu Hua and his attendants to the capital to guard the temple and pray for the Empress Dowager. Everyone, go back to your rooms and rest, and we will set off again at daybreak."
With just a few simple sentences, he gave the general idea. This man called himself a bodyguard, but he was obviously not an bodyguard, and he obviously had no intention of explaining it in detail to the young people.
Wen Wan looked at the surrounding environment. This place looked like an inn. Neither the people from the Imperial Observatory nor the Wei family were here.
Since the Imperial Observatory came to Haicheng under the pretext of looking for Qiuhua's envoy for the Empress Dowager, but they did not travel with them on the way to Beijing this time, it is very likely that the route taken by the Imperial Observatory was different from theirs.
Why do we have to go our separate ways?
Is there anyone who will harm them?
Things became more and more confusing, and Wen Wan kicked the stones under her feet in annoyance.
The stone rolled all the way to the feet of the middle-aged man in black. He frowned, as if displeased, but ultimately said nothing, obviously having some reservations.
Each young person had a separate room, and Zhou Lingling lived next door to her.
Dinner was delivered to each room separately by the men in black, so they didn't even have a chance to communicate.
On the first night, nothing happened.
Early the next morning, after everyone had breakfast in the room, they were driven into the carriage again.
In the carriage, Zhou Lingling finally complained to Wen Wan with a bitter face, like a puppy that had suffered grievances.
"I didn't sleep all night! I was terrified when I thought about being escorted to Beijing for no apparent reason. I'm still so young, and I haven't even married the butcher's daughter in town..."
"Hmm?" Wen Wan grasped the key information, "Don't tell me that the person you like is the butcher's daughter?"
"..." Zhou Lingling was stunned. "Did I just say that?"
Wen Wan nodded, "I said it."
Zhou Lingling smiled sheepishly, "Yeah!"
What does your shy look mean?
The young man who is just beginning to fall in love is so innocent that it makes people feel emotional.
Perhaps it was the power of love. The young man, who had been depressed due to a poor night's sleep, immediately became radiant when he mentioned his sweetheart.
Without Wen Wan asking, he told the whole love story between the two of them.
So Wen Wan was forced to eat dog food all the way.
*
After leaving Haicheng, the weather was no longer hot. The young people accepted the reality and gradually adapted to the fatigue of traveling.
After dark, the team stayed at a riverside inn.
The post station was very big, but there was no village in front and no shop behind. There were two big red lanterns hanging at the door, emitting a faint light that was neither red nor black. At first glance, it was very creepy.
But when you get closer, you can see that there are quite a few guests staying in this inn, and the whole lobby is bustling and noisy.
The middle-aged man in black who was in the lead commanded everyone to dismount and settle down. After he found the shopkeeper to negotiate, the group of people were divided into a separate courtyard at the back.
Wen Wan followed everyone through the lobby. When she passed a table in the corner, the three young men sitting behind the table unconsciously looked at her a few more times.
Wen Wan noticed their gazes and turned her head, and they hurriedly looked away.
After leaving the lobby, Zhou Lingling also frowned, "Sister Xiaowan, those people just now looked strange."
He saw it too.
Wen Wan responded, lowering her voice and saying, "It seems that tonight is not peaceful. Be alert when you go to bed."
"good."
Unfortunately, things are always a little unexpected.
Nothing happened that night; they were attacked in a valley after leaving the post station.
Following a strange bird cry, a group of people who looked like bandits rushed down from the hillsides on both sides.
They moved swiftly and in an organized manner, and their target was the young men in the carriage.
Zhou Lingling was very scared, but he was a man after all, so he picked up a stick and stood in front of Wen Wan.
But his trembling voice still betrayed his fear when he spoke.
"Sister Xiaowan, how come these bandits are so powerful!"
Wen Wan sneered, "Because they are not bandits at all!"
I don’t know what court secrets the person the Queen Mother is looking for is involved in. Both sides clearly have official backgrounds, but one group disguises themselves as roadside escorts and the other group disguises themselves as mountain bandits.
Do you really think that the people are blind?
Who are you acting for?
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