“Jirong…” After Li Shimin recited this name once, he waved his hand to dismiss Zhao Shi, then had Chuyi bring paper, ink, and silk. After writing several lines, he placed it in the thin bamboo tube that Li Yuan had casually left there and handed it to Chuyi, saying, “Send this to elder brother by carrier pigeon.”

After Chuyi followed Li Shimin’s instructions, tying the bamboo tube to the carrier pigeon’s leg and releasing it into the sky, Yunyi had just reached the city gate. The reason it had taken so long was firstly because she was injured, and secondly because she had to avoid the pursuing soldiers scattered throughout the mountains.

She had originally intended to slip into the city when the gate guards weren’t paying attention. Although her identity had most likely been exposed, she still wanted to take the risk and see if she could eliminate Li Yuan before the situation escalated, to prevent the Great Sui Dynasty from being shaken at its foundations.

But as soon as she reached the city gate, she saw the gate guards checking everyone entering and leaving the city one by one. Anyone found to be injured or acting suspiciously was immediately arrested.

This was bad. Under these circumstances, how could she enter the city? Could it be… after traveling thousands of li to reach Honghua Commandery, would she really have to return empty-handed?

She was unwilling to accept this, but looking at the current situation, it seemed she had no choice. Yunyi walked a few steps away, then stopped and looked back at the city gate once more. Besides unwillingness, there was also reluctance.

She had promised Caiping that she would visit her, but now she would have to break her word. And there was Wu Laosan… if she were to say who had the deepest hold on Yunyi since coming to Honghua Commandery, it would be none other than Wu Laosan, who had given Yunyi the fatherly love she had never experienced in her sixteen years.

Wu Laosan regarded Meixue as his very life. Now that she was leaving without a word, he would surely be driven mad with worry, searching everywhere for her. I’m sorry, father. I’m sorry. I will never forget you for the rest of my life. If… no, I promise you, I will definitely find a way to return to Honghua Commandery to find you.

After silently reciting these words, Yunyi withdrew her reluctant gaze and headed toward Luoyang. Sigh, she didn’t even have a single string of cash on her now—she didn’t know how she would get back to Luoyang.

Just as she was worrying about this, a squad of soldiers suddenly rushed out from the city gate. To avoid being discovered by them, Yunyi quickly hid behind a nearby tree. She heard them saying, “Starting from here, station two people every five zhang apart. As soon as you spot this female assassin from the portrait, shout immediately. Also, even if it’s not the person in the portrait, arrest anyone acting suspiciously. The Governor said this female assassin might disguise herself, so don’t be careless. Whoever can catch the female assassin will receive two hundred strings of cash as reward—that’s almost equivalent to two years of our wages. Everyone, stay alert!”

“Yes!” The soldiers responded in unison, then followed his instructions, stationing two people every five zhang apart, standing face to face so they could see each other’s backs, leaving no blind spots.

Yunyi secretly glanced around, her heart sinking in despair. The roads ahead and behind were full of soldiers, and even the small paths were guarded. For her to leave this place without alerting anyone was simply impossible.

If she hadn’t hesitated for so long earlier, she might have already gotten far away by now. It was too late for regrets—she could only desperately think of ways to escape.

What made Yunyi truly desperate was that no matter how she thought about it, there was no way to leave without being noticed. She could only wait until nightfall and see—then, with the cover of darkness, it would be relatively easier to leave.

However, heaven seemed unwilling to let Yunyi escape this time. After about half an hour, someone came out asking, “Haven’t you found any trace of the assassin?”

Yunyi recognized him—he was one of Li Yuan’s personal guards who often followed him around. The leading captain approached and said, “We haven’t found the assassin yet, but Guard Wang, rest assured. We’ve secured this area tightly. Even if that female assassin had wings, she couldn’t fly away.”

Guard Wang shook his head, “How tightly secured was the Governor’s residence initially? They had guards every three steps and sentries every five steps, yet she still managed to escape.”

Rebuked like this, the captain looked embarrassed. Guard Wang looked around and asked, “Have you searched this entire area?”

The captain shook his head, “This place is completely open—there’s nowhere to hide.”

“No matter what, it’s better to search it just to be safe.” Though the captain didn’t think it was necessary, since this Guard Wang was the Governor’s trusted aide, he didn’t dare offend him. He called over several men, “Search this area carefully. Don’t be careless and miss anything.”

Hearing this, Yunyi panicked. Could it be… this time she really couldn’t escape this calamity?

At this moment, the sound of suona horns reached her ears. Following the sound, she saw a sedan chair covered with bright red silk being carried toward them, surrounded by a crowd of people. At the front were the suona players, beside the bridal sedan walked a matchmaker swaying with each step, and in front of the sedan was a young man on a tall horse, draped in red silk and full of high spirits—undoubtedly the groom. Behind them followed many servants. To have such a grand procession, the family must be quite well-off.

Seeing this wedding procession, Yunyi conceived a plan. This plan was quite dangerous, but at this point, she had no choice but to take desperate risks.

Thinking this, she quietly picked up a stone about half the size of her palm from the ground, then carefully moved forward a bit, hiding behind another tree. Now she was less than two zhang away from the nearest soldier—she could be discovered at any moment.

When she was only about one zhang away from the bridal sedan, she exerted force with her wrist, and the stone struck the horse’s forehead accurately. The horse, in pain, immediately neighed and reared up on its hind legs. The groom, caught off guard, was thrown to the ground. The horse, in its agony, went completely mad, galloping wildly in all directions. A gong player and a soldier were unfortunately knocked down by the horse’s hooves, and the latter was heavily trampled on the chest by the horse’s hooves. That wasn’t all—the horse continued charging toward other soldiers.

Seeing this, the captain immediately ordered the soldiers to quickly subdue the suddenly maddened horse, while the matchmaker and others hurried to help up the groom and the gong player. Fortunately, though they were covered in dust from the fall, neither was injured. The soldier who was trampled was the most seriously hurt and was carried to the side.

Everyone’s attention was focused on the horse, and most didn’t notice that the sedan chair’s curtain had lifted slightly. Only the matchmaker vaguely saw a shadowy figure flash by, as if someone had entered the sedan chair. She wanted to lift the curtain but was held back by someone who asked urgently, “Miss, what’s wrong?”

“I… I’m fine. Outside… what’s happening outside?” The bride’s voice sounded somewhat trembling. The matchmaker thought she was frightened by the commotion outside and said, “Don’t worry, miss. It’s nothing serious. The horse just suddenly went mad, but fortunately the groom is fine—just received a bit of a fright.”

The bride inside responded and said nothing more. By this time, the horse had been subdued by several soldiers and handed over to the groom, who thanked them repeatedly and took out silver from his person to give to the injured soldier, “I’ve caused trouble for you soldier brothers. I feel terrible about it. Please, please forgive me!”