Feng Jiu’er would never stake her own life and the lives of her companions on a person she did not even know herself.

So she looked at Feng Yinan and said, “Inform your companions and have them ready at any moment. If the Second Prince truly takes no action, when the First Prince’s forces arrive, have them come out and help us hold the line for a while.”

If they could use a large number of animals to buy time, then retreat into the dense forest at the rear, there was still a chance to escape.

They could not leave the capital yet, but hiding was still possible.

The only trouble was that Xiao Yingtao’s wounds — they would have to worsen.

“Understood. I’ll go now.” Feng Yinan leapt up into a tree. The low, soft calls he made to summon the small animals around him sounded, to human ears, like nothing more than the sound of wind.

Everything was like a string drawn taut — ready to snap at the slightest touch.

Qiaomu sat on the rooftop, watching the direction of the street ahead.

Sure enough, a contingent of men was slowly advancing. Because they were conducting a house-by-house search, their pace was not particularly fast.

Even so, at the current rate, in perhaps the time it took to burn two incense sticks, they would reach this place.

Two incense sticks’ worth of time — could Xing Zizhu bring the Second Prince’s men here in time?

It was not that Qiaomu had no faith in the Second Prince — rather, in the face of something like this, most people would first seek to protect themselves.

After all, there was no fallback plan here. Jiu’er had not mentioned any method by which the Second Prince could clear his name after his men arrived.

They were people of Bei Mu. Right now Bei Mu and the Ruhe army stood facing each other in a state of armed confrontation. If the Second Prince stepped forward to shield them at a time like this, what would the Ruhe Great King think of his own son?

Wishing to coexist in peace? The Ruhe Great King would never believe it. He would only think that his second son had colluded with outsiders in a scheme to seize his own kingdom.

If the Second Prince truly stood up, he himself would surely know — his outcome would be catastrophic.

As for Jiu’er — while she might be buying Xiao Yingtao a little time to rest, what came after?

No one knew what plan Feng Jiu’er had in mind, yet no one asked a single question.

Whatever Jiu’er commanded, they would simply follow.

The First Prince’s contingent drew ever closer. This time Qiaomu saw clearly — even the First Prince himself, Tuoba Keyan, had come out in person.

Tuoba Keyan, in his determination to corner them, was ruthless indeed. He had personally led the search.

But this was the only way for the First Prince to wash away the stain on his own name. Right now, he had to capture every one of them. As long as he had them in hand, he would certainly find a way to produce evidence of their connection to the Second Prince.

As the First Prince’s contingent drew ever nearer in this direction — and for some reason, the closer they came, the faster the contingent seemed to move.

Was it possible that even Tuoba Keyan sensed they might truly have returned to this courtyard house?

Qiaomu’s heartbeat quickened uncontrollably. Perched on a tree not far away, Feng Yinan’s ten fingers gradually tightened.

The calls he sent out grew more urgent. Creatures were stirring in the far distance, gathering — but Jiu’er had said not to cause a commotion before the First Prince’s contingent truly arrived.

So he could only have them hover in the distance. It was not yet time to act.

Still, even with the small animals able to help hold the line briefly, that was truly all it would be — a brief delay.

Against a few individuals, the small animals could prove remarkably effective. Against an entire contingent of men, their strength had its limits.

And besides, animals had strong self-preservation instincts. The moment they sensed the situation turning against them, they sometimes abandoned everything and fled.

One could not fault them for it — they were helping out of a kind of loyalty, after all, and even animals valued their own lives.

So having them was no guarantee of true safety. Feng Yinan was somewhat worried — the First Prince’s contingent, in terms of sheer numbers, was looking to be quite substantial.

That contingent… was drawing truly closer and closer.

One household. Then another. Four households remained. Three. Even two…

Qiaomu felt she could wait no longer. They had to begin relocating positions right now.

She sprang to her feet, about to leap down from the rooftop — when out of the corner of her eye, at the far end of the other street, she saw a surge of people moving toward them…

Qiaomu’s eyes lit up. In that moment, her breath truly grew heavy and heavy again — stunned, barely able to believe what she was seeing.

The Second Prince’s contingent! Xing Zizhu had actually come through — he had truly brought the Second Prince’s men!

“What is going on?” Tuoba Keyan, seated on horseback, furrowed his thick brows and fixed his gaze on the contingent advancing from the other end of the street.

“First Highness, those are the Second Highness’s men — and one outsider… someone who appears to be from Bei Mu.”

Someone from Bei Mu!

Tuoba Keyan’s five fingers tightened into a fist. He said furiously, “So he truly did collude with the Bei Mu people!”

That meant those few Bei Mu individuals truly were right here in this courtyard house!

Tuoba Keyan stared at the courtyard house — the very one his men had already searched before — and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Indeed, it bore out the saying: the most dangerous place was the safest. He should have realized it sooner.

But things being as they were now, it was not a bad outcome either. His second royal brother had actually sent men to protect those Bei Mu people — for their sake, he had come in person.

Ha. Had he not already given himself away without a confession?

“Summon people from the Great King’s side. Have them witness with their own eyes exactly how the Second Prince is consorting with outsiders.”

“Yes!” His subordinate received the order and immediately turned and left.

With that, Tuoba Keyan was in no hurry. He led his contingent forward at a leisurely pace. Once the Second Prince’s men had truly entered the courtyard and the entire compound was surrounded inside and out, only then did he bring his people charging in.

“Eldest Royal Brother.” Even the Second Prince, Tuoba Ermeng, had come in person — which was somewhat within Feng Jiu’er’s expectations.

She stepped out the door in time to see the Second Prince and the First Prince standing in confrontation outside the gate.

“Eldest Royal Brother brings so many men here — what is the purpose of this?” Tuoba Ermeng dismounted from his horse and looked up at Tuoba Keyan, who remained seated high in his saddle.

Tuoba Keyan still wore that air of lofty, supreme bearing — no visible arrogance, yet carrying a certain self-assured pride that kept others at a distance.

“Second Royal Brother, those in this courtyard house are all traitors. And yet you sent men to protect them — what is the meaning of that?”

Tuoba Ermeng had dismounted, but Tuoba Keyan remained seated on his horse, showing not the slightest intent to get down.

Thus one stood, one sat tall in the saddle — one humble and refined, one wild and unrestrained. The temperaments of these two brothers were as different as heaven and earth.

Tuoba Keyan’s gaze passed over Tuoba Ermeng and fixed itself on Feng Jiu’er, who had just stepped out from within.

He narrowed his eyes, and suddenly found himself with a flicker of interest in this small, slight girl. “Are you or are you not one of Zhan Qingcheng’s people? Where is he right now? Is he still in the capital?” His gaze moved past her and into the courtyard beyond, and he said coldly, “Is he in there? Have him come out and face this Prince!”