Kunzhou City had countless courtyards, row upon row. At this moment, in the study of an inconspicuous small courtyard in the eastern part of the city where the wealthy had long resided, a group of advisors were each opening the letters in their hands.

One person smiled broadly and said, “As expected, they’ve left the Fuguang River.”

Another person said, “Young Master is truly talented.”

One person sighed, “Speaking of which, the other side is truly formidable. How many of our arrangements have they ruined? Originally thought we could eliminate them outside the border without having to wait until they entered Yannan and inevitably got our hands dirty, but now it seems we can’t stop them.”

“If we can’t stop them, let them come in,” another person curled his lip, “Outside the border isn’t Young Master’s territory after all. Yannan is our domain. If they want to seek death, let them come.”

One person folded up the court gazette in his hand and said, “All affairs in the court are peaceful. As soon as that person left, Elder Xiao recovered from his illness and returned to court. The court’s structure has subtle changes. Rong and Xiao now both comply with His Majesty’s edicts, their relationship has thawed, but the relationship between Elder Xiao and Elder Li is not as good as before. Grand Secretary Chang is also frequently targeted and can no longer play the confused old man. The move the Crown Princess made before leaving was truly quite vicious…”

“The cabinet has never been a monolithic block. The more discord among them, the more opportunities for us. It’s just a pity that the Crown Princess is stubborn and acts independently. No one can stop her from coming to Yannan. All those generous gifts we sent to the capital over the years have been wasted.”

“Not just what was sent to the capital. This time alone, we’ve already spent countless resources and still haven’t succeeded…”

“Since this Crown Princess is so shrewd, our countermeasures should be adjusted.”

“We might as well pretend to submit first and win her over.”

“If she truly doesn’t know what’s good for her, we can certainly pull the rug out from under her.”

“Or we could set some bait…”

Everyone discussed heatedly. Someone couldn’t help but sigh, “This Crown Princess is clearly of noble imperial blood, yet she likes to conduct private inspections in disguise. She’d rather not have three thousand guards and prefers to travel alone in secret. I wonder if she’s too confident in herself or looks down on us in Yannan too much?”

Someone laughed heartily, “Whether it’s confidence or looking down on us, isn’t she still in our Young Master’s trap?”

Then someone reported from outside, “Young Master has returned!”

The advisors continued their conversation until one of them coughed, and they all threw down their documents, stood up with smiles, and said, “Young Master has come.”

The curtain was lifted, and someone strode in with head held high.

…

On the warship, the Nanyue naval forces finally dispersed. The ship continued forward. At midnight, Tie Ci’s ship stopped in the middle of the river, and a fishing boat emerged from beneath the ship. On the boat sat Tie Ci, the Chi Qingbo couple, Xiao Xueya and Deputy General Zhu, Chi Xue and Dan Shuang, as well as sausage-mouth Feng Huan.

Murong Yi waved to Tie Ci from afar on the ship, looking quite content to be a hostage.

The young nobles clung to the ship’s rail with tears in their eyes. They had wanted to escape but failed, and now it was the Crown Princess who had escaped instead. Turning to look at the enchanting consort, their hearts felt even more desolate.

They stared at Feng Huan with envy, jealousy, and hatred. That bastard was proudly waving from the small boat. They wished that when he drank water it would scald him, and when he traveled by boat it would capsize.

Li Yuncheng clutched a book, watching the Crown Princess who had just left like that with some bewilderment. She left just like that, but why did she entrust the Crown Princess’s guards and accompanying officials remaining on the ship to his management? When had the Crown Princess trusted him so much? Could this be a trap?

Actually, he was overthinking. Tie Ci simply saw that he had considerable prestige among the young nobles and was intelligent, so naturally she would make use of him.

As for the arrangements Tie Ci had made for Xizhou earlier, Xiao Xueya had acted decisively and had already called a meeting with the generals to arrange everything before being poisoned. So the naval ships would later stay at the Xizhou ferry for another day, waiting for handover matters and other arrangements to be completed before continuing to Wuling ferry.

Disembarking was originally Murong Yi’s sudden suggestion, but when Tie Ci met his gaze, she agreed without question.

After everyone dispersed, Murong Yi indeed told Tie Ci that he had interrogated those underwater assassins. They were quite stubborn, but not as stubborn as his methods. Eventually they confessed that they were sent by the Chang family of Huichuan.

The Chang family of Huichuan was one of the great clans in Yannan. They had built their fortune in the tea-horse trade, had three family members serving in the Yannan Prince’s mansion, their family patriarch was the former Yannan Prince’s chief clerk, and they also had marriage connections with Yannan’s three great chieftains. They were a great family that could connect with both military and political circles in Yannan.

They were also the main family of Chang Yuan, who had stolen Tie Ci’s poetry and been expelled by Tie Ci.

The assassin said it was because Chang Yuan was the most outstanding young man of the Chang family’s generation, but after the trip to the capital, despite being on the list, he was expelled. After returning, he became dispirited. The Chang family patriarch loved Chang Yuan the most and in his anger wanted to teach the Crown Princess a lesson.

Murong Yi scoffed at this.

This story could only fool these stupid assassins.

The Chang family was a local power in Yannan, thriving in Yannan. Running to the capital to participate in the imperial examinations and cultivate connections was already putting the cart before the horse. To hastily act against the Crown Princess before she even arrived in Yannan, when the Yannan Prince’s mansion hadn’t even drawn swords yet, seemed like madness no matter how you looked at it.

Such a family that had prospered for generations and was accustomed to reading the winds would never suddenly go mad.

They were merely being manipulated by others.

Tie Ci remembered the bone carving-like object that the assassin had thrown before dying during the imperial garden assassination. She showed it to Murong Yi to have these colleagues identify it, but the result was that no one recognized it. This clearly meant the two groups of assassins didn’t come from the same place and had different allegiances.

Since that was the case, there was no need to bring out the vine-like object Tie Ci had obtained from Tan Dunzhi.

Murong Yi returned the bone carving to Tie Ci. Watching Tie Ci’s small boat disappear into the distance, he turned back to the cabin where the assassins were interrogated, thinking that after this wave passed, perhaps he could extract more information.

As he walked back, he saw a night bird spread its wings and sweep past the mast, disappearing into the night. The bird had bright colors, its belly and back showing a vivid orange even in the dim lamplight, but its beak was black and long, reminiscent of a venomous bee’s stinger.

Murong Yi faintly smelled an unpleasant odor, like rancid fat, greasy and nauseating.

When he reached the cabin door, he found several of his subordinates who were responsible for guarding lying scattered at the entrance.

Murong Yi’s expression hardened. He rushed into the room in a few steps. Sure enough, those assassins were also lying stiffly on the ground.

Several assassins were curled up in balls with vomit on the ground, showing they had convulsed before death. Murong Yi found wounds on their bodies – very small ones, all on exposed skin. Just tiny breaks in the skin, but enough to cause instant death.

The two subordinates responsible for guarding were naturally skilled hands under his command, very alert and agile. Yet they not only failed to detect the commotion inside the room but also lost their own lives.

Murong Yi had left this cabin for only a quarter hour. This area was also separated from the Nanyue naval forces, and after today’s events, the Crown Princess’s guards were maintaining strict security. The ship was still in the middle of the river, so it was impossible for assassins to infiltrate.

How did these people die?

Murong Yi stood dazed in the room, then suddenly sniffed.

The air was heavy with the smell of blood, which covered up an unusual odor. That smell was somewhat familiar – he had just smelled it.

It was the smell of that bird from earlier.

His gaze fell on the window, which had somehow opened a crack.

Did that bird fly over and kill these people? What kind of bird was it? Why did it fly over? This bird couldn’t have come by accident, otherwise it wouldn’t be that only the people in that room died while everyone else was fine.

So was it summoned by someone? But the ship had been quiet just now, with no summoning sounds. And if no one had approached that interrogation room, how did the bird find it so precisely?

The bird came when he was seeing Tie Ci off, and everyone on Tie Ci’s boat showed no unusual behavior.

Yannan was not yet reached, but the waves would never cease.

Murong Yi gazed at the small fishing boat departing on the river surface, slightly furrowing his brow.

…

The small boat went downstream and stopped at a small ferry called Wumeng, located northwest of the originally planned Wuling ferry, about a hundred li away. Nearby were continuous mountain ranges, and twenty-odd li south of the ferry was Pingyun Prefecture, one of the seven prefectures under Xizhou.

Since that was the case, why not visit Pingyun Prefecture and stay the night? Then continue along the mountain range, seeking medicine while avoiding the endless assassinations along this route.

Her maternal grandfather was the prefect of Pingyun Prefecture. She might as well see how her grandfather’s administration was doing.

Chi Xue had long prepared travel passes and documents for the journey – a whole stack of blank ones, making it very convenient to enter the city. When entering the city, Tie Ci looked at the city walls – they apparently hadn’t been repaired in many years.

The current era was peaceful without warfare, and Pingyun’s location wasn’t a strategic pass or important position. But for the city walls to reach this state of being spotted with missing bricks and practically useless, it was still too lax. As the saying goes, “Build cities to defend the ruler, construct outer walls to protect the people.” Even if Pingyun wasn’t on the border or a military strategic point, surely there were still mountain bandits and horse thieves outside the city?

Tie Ci recalled last year’s three-year performance evaluation. The Ministry of Personnel had reported Pingyun’s assessment as excellent. She sighed.

After entering the city, it couldn’t be called clean and prosperous, but it also couldn’t be called dilapidated and filthy. The southwest region had many mountains and much rain, making crops difficult to grow. The economy and people’s livelihood were mediocre, incomparable to Zhongzhou and other places.

Tie Ci’s gaze swept over the open and hidden channels, stone and dirt roads, temples and monasteries within the city. The incense at the temples wasn’t particularly flourishing. In the southwest, various ethnic groups lived together, each with their own worshipped deities, and they had little interest in the Buddhist and Taoist teachings of the Central Plains.

Outside the city, Chi Xue had hired several black lacquered carriages for the wounded and sick to ride in. After entering the city, they first found a quiet inn in the most prosperous eastern part of the city, booked it entirely, and moved in.

Tie Ci shared a courtyard with Chi Xue and Dan Shuang, and without avoiding suspicion, she also stuffed Feng Huan in. Xiao Xueya and Deputy General Zhu shared a courtyard, and the Chi Qingbo couple had their own courtyard.

The young master was quite depressed. When had he ever traveled without being surrounded by attendants, with everything done for him? Now when traveling, he had to do everything himself, and the Crown Princess wouldn’t let him buy temporary servants and practically wanted to use him as a servant.

Like now – the Crown Princess had gone out to browse the night market, and he was responsible for carrying bags.

After dinner, the Chi Qingbo couple also left. They met Tie Ci at the entrance. Tie Ci was somewhat surprised to see the two of them. She had specifically left Chi Xue and Dan Shuang behind to protect Xiao Xueya and them. Why were they going out? Chi Qingbo’s injuries hadn’t healed yet.

A’li Teng looked gently at Chi Qingbo, saying with slight reproach, “He said he felt stuffy in the room. Since there’s a night market right at the entrance, we thought we’d come out for a walk.”

Her hair had been mostly burned off a few days ago, so she simply wrapped it with a headscarf, revealing only a face with deep, beautiful, and gorgeous features.

Chi Qingbo smiled, touching her head, and said slowly, “There are many traveling doctors here who set up stalls selling herbs. We can also try our luck.”

His eyes were full of affection, and A’li Teng looked up at him with flowing eyes full of joy.

Tie Ci had originally wanted to say she could buy whatever they needed and that they should rest and recover. But at this moment, she felt she couldn’t insert herself between these two people at all. The young couple clearly had a good relationship – Chi Qingbo obviously cherished A’li Teng and wanted to accompany her for a walk. Naturally, she didn’t need to interfere.

She smiled and bid farewell to the couple at the entrance, watching them leave hand in hand. Feng Huan stood on the threshold, looking at their retreating figures, and said with admiration, “These two are truly loving. I wish I had someone who loved me like that…”

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Tie Ci.

Tie Ci walked casually ahead, saying, “That’s not difficult. If you fancy someone, I’ll ask Father Emperor to grant you a marriage when we return to the capital, provided the other person also likes you.”

Feng Huan looked at her back, fidgeting as he said, “Well, about that, I don’t know, but I do have someone I like…”

But Tie Ci wasn’t listening to him at all and interrupted, “You also think Master Chi and his wife are truly loving?”

“Of course it’s true,” Feng Huan immediately said. “I’m telling you, Your Highness, you just don’t understand. When a woman is deeply in love with a man, her eyes and movements are like she’s glued to him. She’d prick up her ears just hearing his name, and if someone blocked her view of him, she’d want to push them aside. Like a spider that’s woven a web, she only catches that one person and won’t rest until she’s devoured him.”

Tie Ci laughed, “Listening to you, it sounds like they’re not a couple who’ve been married for a long time, but lovers in passionate romance.”

The two strolled down the street, keeping some distance apart. One was graceful and handsome, the other a pretty boy with a conspicuous sausage mouth, making them doubly eye-catching. People on the street frequently looked their way.

However, Tie Ci was used to being the center of attention, and Feng Huan didn’t care about being noticed. In his eyes, these were all commoners – his eyes only followed the person in front of him.

“Well yes, this couple has a particularly good relationship.”

“Are all couples and lovers with good relationships like what you described?”

Feng Huan said decisively, “Normal people are all like this! Those who aren’t are abnormal!”

“Oh…” Tie Ci responded with a half-smile, “You seem to understand so well. It seems you really do have someone in your heart.”

“That’s right, that’s right… I am indeed thinking of a young lady, I just don’t know if that young lady also…” Feng Huan looked at Tie Ci’s back, his sausage mouth sincerely slightly open, eyes bright.

Suddenly someone passed by his side, reached out and slapped his mouth, laughing, “Unfaithful men should shut up.”

“Who was that? I heard Master Mu say you once gave a young lady a kiss on the street. Is it her…” Tie Ci casually turned back and was startled, “What happened to your mouth again!”

It was a red sausage just moments ago, how did it become a purple sausage in the blink of an eye?

A small child pointed at Feng Huan’s mouth and giggled.

Feng Huan: “Woo woo woo ruru ruru…”

This time he couldn’t even speak.

Tie Ci immediately reacted and looked around in all directions.

But the night market was particularly crowded, with everyone staring at Feng Huan and snickering. She couldn’t tell who had just played this trick.

Feng Huan: “Woo woo woo ruru ruru…”

I want to go back to the inn.

Tie Ci: “Oh.” She reached out and pulled Feng Huan along, “It’s fine, keep browsing. It looks good – a big mouth brings fortune from all directions. They’re jealous of you.”

Feng Huan: “…”

Crown Princess, if you keep this up, I really won’t be able to like you anymore…

The Crown Princess obviously didn’t care whether Feng Huan liked her or not.

After all, what she needed was Feng Huan’s sausage mouth to lure out people from that mysterious family. Obviously there were quite a few of them – they could encounter them just by casually browsing a night market in a small city.

But afterward, walking a short street from end to end and back again, they didn’t encounter any more strange people or events.

During the process of strolling this short street, Tie Ci ran into the Chi Qingbo couple three times.

The first time, the two were crouching in front of an herbal medicine stall selecting herbs. After crouching for a long time, when they stood up their legs were numb. Both stumbled simultaneously, then timely supported each other and smiled at each other.

The night market had colorful lanterns everywhere, flowing with light and color. That pair’s gazes at each other were like glue, and the dimples at the corners of A’li Teng’s lips seemed filled with honey, sweet and fragrant.

The second time was at a small food stall, where the couple sat head to head eating from one pot, feeding each other. Chi Qingbo personally peeled open a lemongrass rice packet, picked out the mountain onions one by one, then brought it to A’li Teng’s mouth.

A’li Teng looked at Chi Qingbo with a beaming smile, opening her mouth to receive it. But Chi Qingbo was so mesmerized watching A’li Teng that he poked her lips with his chopsticks.

A’li Teng giggled, her voice like a songbird, every note melodious and joyful.

The third time was when the night was deep, and the two were supporting each other as they walked back. Chi Qingbo skillfully squatted down wanting to carry A’li Teng on his back. A’li Teng lightly leaned on his back and whispered something in his ear. His ears immediately turned red.

He stood up with a smile, pinched A’li Teng’s cheeks, and A’li Teng smiled as she took his arm. The two slowly walked back.

All three times, Tie Ci stood in the shadows observing, unable to help but click her tongue.

Coming out to browse the night market, she ended up getting a mouthful of dog food.

Feng Huan cupped his sausage mouth and also watched the couple’s retreating figures, thinking: Is this what’s called the ordinary warm daily life of a loving couple enjoying the mundane pleasures of life? It did look quite beautiful.

But he’d still rather cry sitting in the Golden Luan Hall than laugh in a dirty night market.

…