After breakfast, Min told Mu Jin to stay at the inn while he went out to scout around and then came back to meet her. Seeing Mu Jin nod, Min and Mu Jin smiled and turned to leave the inn.
When Nangong Min arrived on the street, he heard many people talking about it.
"Sigh, is this a murderer or a traitor they've arrested?"
"Sigh, I don't know, the world is in such a mess, there's no peace anywhere."
Nangong Min walked towards the city gate, and just as the waiter had said, he saw soldiers and several men dressed in black comparing portraits of people leaving the county with those portraits.
Some of the men and women were taken aside for detailed questioning, and upon closer inspection, they bore some resemblance to him and Mu Jin.
Nangong Min watched for a moment and then walked back. When he arrived at a security escort agency, he saw a fat man with big ears directing the agency's staff and cursing.
The man cursed, "This shipment was delivered by me to my brother-in-law in Dangzhou. If you dare not take good care of it, I'll chop you all up if anything goes wrong."
The escort agency staff bowed and scraped before the man, hurriedly saying they dared not.
Nangong Min stopped and stopped a passerby, giving him some silver coins before asking, "Brother, I'd like to ask, who is that young master in the escort agency who's swearing? He looks quite imposing."
The man initially dared not speak, but seeing the silver in Nangong Min's hand, he was reluctant to part with it. He glanced at the escort agency, pulled Nangong Min aside, and whispered, "Young master, you may not know this, but this is Yu Hu, the son of our county magistrate. You should stay away from him. He bullies men and women in our county and is not someone to be trifled with."
After saying that, the man took the money and ran away as quickly as possible, as if afraid of causing trouble.
Nangong Min thought for a moment and then made a plan. As soon as Yu Hu left, he went into the escort agency and found the head escort.
Nangong Min smiled and said to the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), "Head镖师 Li, my name is Nanyang. My younger brother and I are traveling from Wen County to Xia Nan Village in the neighboring town to attend a funeral. Last night, someone stole our luggage at the inn and we lost our travel permit. Today, the soldiers are checking things very carefully. I'm afraid that without the travel permit, we will be delayed for a long time and miss the day of the funeral. I wonder if we could leave the city together with your镖局 (bodyguard/escort agency)?"
Li, the镖局 (bodyguard agency), stroked his beard and looked at Nangong Min. Nangong Min was handsome and gentle, and did not seem like a wicked person. However, he did not intend to pay attention to a stranger.
Just as Li, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), was about to refuse, Nangong Min took out fifty taels of silver from his chest and gave it to Li.
"When you're out and about, it's lucky that my little brother told me to keep my valuables on my person, otherwise they would have stolen them. Could you do me a favor? Here's fifty taels for you, and I'll give you another fifty taels once we're out of the city, is that alright?"
When Li, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), saw that Nangong Min had given him a hundred taels of silver, he was overjoyed. He hadn't earned a single coin on this shipment because of Yu Hu's tyranny, but now a god of wealth had delivered himself to his door. How could he refuse?
Li, the镖头 (bodyguard), smiled amiably and said, "Brother Nan, you're too kind. You should hurry back to the inn and call your young brother. We'll be setting off in half an hour. If we're late, the official will hold us accountable."
Upon hearing this, Nangong Min quickly thanked him and returned to the inn to call Mu Jin.
After Mu Jin changed into men's clothing, painted her face yellow, and drew a large black mole on her face, she met up with Nangong Min at the escort agency.
The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) Li glanced at Mu Jin, whose attire was so ugly, and couldn't bear to look at her. He simply told the two of them to follow behind the镖局 (escort agency) and push the goods to keep up.
As they approached the city gate, Mu Jin and Nangong Min exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and followed the caravan of the escort agency.
Upon reaching the city gate, they saw several men in black holding portraits and standing with soldiers at the gate, inspecting pedestrians and vehicles.
When the escort agency's convoy approached the soldiers, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) Li was bowing and scraping to the soldiers while holding Yu Hu's documents.
"Your Honor, this batch of goods is to be sent by Magistrate Yu to Lu Zhizhou in Nanzhou. Do you think it is necessary to inspect it yet?"
Before the officers could answer, the men in black civilian clothes ordered the goods to be unloaded, the boxes opened, and the remaining people to line up for inspection.
The officer and Li, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), pointed to the people standing on the city wall and said, "The people sent from above, including Magistrate Yu, are here with you. You should accept the inspection."
Mu Jin and Nangong Min looked in the direction the soldiers were pointing. At that moment, an official dressed in the uniform of a county magistrate was standing on the high city wall with several people, glancing at the crowd from time to time.
Having no other choice, Li Escort Agency walked up to Nangong Min and Mu Jin, telling them to be quick-witted and stand in front of the group for inspection.
The man in black carefully examined the group of people using the portrait. When he reached Nangong Min and Mu Jin, who were standing there honestly, he looked at them closely several times.
The officers and soldiers nearby knew that the goods belonged to their superior and, fearing that it would delay the journey, stepped forward and said a few kind words on their behalf, and only then did the group let them pass.
Mu Jin and Nangong Min successfully left Luoyun County with the caravan.
As the area outside the city gradually became less populated, and the journey went smoothly, Chief Escort Li visibly breathed a sigh of relief and chatted and laughed with the others.
Nangong Min stepped forward and stopped Li, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), gave him the remaining fifty taels of silver, thanked him, and then parted ways with Mu Jin and the镖局 (escort agency) people.
As darkness fell, the two entered a small village, knocked on the door of a house, and said they were visiting relatives in a neighboring county. They were then given some silver and allowed to stay.
The family was an elderly couple who were very hospitable to the two of them. After the meal, they even brought them hot water. Although Mu Jin couldn't take a proper hot bath, she could still feel comfortable washing her body and soaking her feet in hot water.
When Mu Jin finished washing up and went out, Nangong Min had already finished washing up and returned to his room to wait for her.
When Nangong Min saw Mu Jin enter, he handed her a cup of tea. Mu Jin took it and asked, "So we've managed to escape successfully, right?"
Nangong Min replied, "When we left the city, there were several people standing on the city wall. One of them had internal strength that was higher than mine. I wonder if that person would notice us."
Mu Jin said somewhat nervously, "Perhaps they are the people Su Mu sent to the General's Mansion to monitor me."
Seeing Mu Jin's unease, Nangong Min comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I'll be here to protect you. Get some rest tonight."
Mu Jin also understood that Su Mu's people were not easy to fool, so neither of them could let their guard down.
In the middle of the night, Mu Jin was awakened by a noise. She immediately opened her eyes, sat up, and looked at Nangong Min.
At this moment, Nangong Min was pressing his ear against the wooden door, seemingly listening to the sounds outside. Seeing that Mu Jin had woken up, he gestured with his finger for her to be quiet.
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