Her guards

Chapter 256 Wei Jiao's Hiding

The village was shattered by the sound of horses' hooves at night, followed by the barking of dogs, but then silence fell.

The villagers, awakened by the noise, hid behind the door and peered into the courtyard through the crack.

The night seemed to be torn apart, and a group of men in black appeared to emerge from underground.

The leader of the men in black waved his hand, and several men in black entered the courtyard, while the door was simultaneously kicked open.

"Hero, spare my life!"

The villagers were so frightened that they knelt on the ground.

But the men in black who broke in did not kill him, nor did they question him. They ignored the villagers and searched the narrow, simple room.

The villagers, trembling, lay on the ground and heard the clanging and banging sounds. They saw the walls smashed, the beds overturned, the simple cabinets overturned, and the ground knocked over, before they retreated.

All of this seemed to happen in an instant.

These people rushed in instantly, did these things instantly, and then left instantly.

The villager lay motionless on the ground until dawn, when he trembled as he got up. The mess in the house reminded him that what happened last night was not a nightmare.

He walked out trembling, and the villagers around him also came out with fear on their faces.

Everyone had the same experience last night, but apart from the barking dog being killed, no villagers were injured or killed.

"...My house was demolished."

"...Who is this person? A robber?"

"...Ah, I've seen it before, it's Xiuyi."

"...Isn't the Embroidered Robe only responsible for confiscating property and exterminating families in the city? Why are they coming to our countryside to confiscate our property?"

"What's there to search in our home?"

The embroidered-clothes officers searched not only the countryside but also the cities.

Just like in the countryside, they barged in directly. When those who tried to question or stop them were knocked to the ground, no one dared to speak again, trembling as they watched this group of embroidered-clothes "destroy the house."

The county government office was no exception; the floor tiles were all cracked in an attempt to find someone hiding underground.

The magistrate stood aside, looking trembling at the man in black embroidered robes, and asked who he was looking for. Was it "the Mo family's traitors?"

The embroidered-clothes leader did not answer any of them.

"Sir, if you're looking for someone, why don't you arrest and interrogate the people in the county?" an official boldly suggested.

Since it's a search and arrest operation, you should ask questions.

portrait.

Body shape.

Have you seen anything suspicious?

Why did they search these embroidered clothes without even asking any questions? What could they possibly find?
In the past, when the Embroidered Robe Guards went on missions, they would simply surround the gate, catching powerful families and high-ranking officials off guard, and no one could escape. So they probably had no idea how to conduct a search and arrest.

Upon hearing the official's words, the woman in embroidered robes glanced at him.

“He doesn’t trust anyone, and he doesn’t interact with people,” he said.

"He doesn't interact with people?" The magistrate and officials were surprised.

Xiuyi ignored them and looked at the Xiuyi people gathering outside the door.

“There’s no trace,” they all said.

Xiu Yi nodded and took out a map from her sleeve and unfolded it.

Several people in embroidered robes surrounded the map, pointing to one of the locations. "They came back, saying they parted ways with him here." "They've been waiting here ever since." "They haven't seen him again."

"No matter how far he takes the detour," said the leader of the embroidered-clothes women, pointing to three locations on the map. "To get to Longxi, we must pass through these three places. Let's go."

The women in embroidered robes responded and followed the woman outside.

The county government office quieted down, and the officials breathed a sigh of relief, yet were also very curious.

"Who is this person making such a big fuss?"

"Is it that hard to catch? We'll have to dig three feet into the ground."

"It must be someone from the young prince of the Mo family..."

"I never expected that the little prince would still be alive."

"Cough, don't talk nonsense. The imperial court said it was a bandit in disguise."

"County Commandant Sun, back when your grandfather was in the capital, did that young prince live or die...?"

"Hey, don't talk nonsense! My grandfather wasn't a former official of the Zhou dynasty. My grandfather was... was captured by Zhao Tan!"

The embroidered-robes' antics didn't generate much discussion, firstly because no one was killed or their property confiscated, and secondly because the most talked-about topic right now was the former dynasty's young prince calling for the restoration of the kingdom.

Although the imperial court never admitted it, only saying that they were bandits from Yunling, both the government and the people had their own speculations.

"...It must be true."

As the sun set, a caravan of merchants stopped in the wilderness and began preparing to spend the night there.

Even though they were tired from their journey, as soon as they had a spare moment, the merchants began to discuss the matter.

"...Zhao Tan killed Emperor Ai back then, but kept this little prince alive."

"That's right. The reason why Zhao Tan killed Emperor Ai back then was because he had a son. With a son to hold hostage, Emperor Ai was no longer useful."

"...When the capital fell, Zhao Tan fled and killed everyone in the palace, including the young prince."

"...The young prince escaped with the protection of loyal ministers."

"...Indeed, the young prince raised his arm and so many former officials came forward to surrender the city...Hey, are we still going to deliver the goods this time? Don't go and deliver them, the other side might have taken the Mo surname..."

"...Whatever your surname, you still have to do business, so who cares?"

"...No matter what business you do, you have to eat first."

“…Zhao Gou’er, Zhao Gou’er.” With the shout, a servant who was gathering the horses together rushed over.

He was very tall, with a sallow complexion and disheveled hair and beard. He bowed timidly to one of the merchants and asked, "What are your orders, sir?"

"Forget about the horses for now," the merchant said. "Go build a fire, boil water, and cook."

The servant, called Zhao Gou'er, responded and turned to leave. In the twilight, several merchants watched as the servant deftly dug a pit, piled stones, and lit a bonfire with a tinderbox before nightfall.

"This lad looks sickly, but he's quite efficient at his work. You haven't wasted your time having him as a servant," the other merchants said with a laugh.

"Do you think I'm someone who just takes a mouth to eat for free?" the merchant laughed. "The moment this lad jumped out from under the bridge, reined in my runaway horse, and saved my goods, I knew he had some skill and was worth buying as a servant."

Someone scoffed, "You stingy bastard, what do you mean 'buy'? Did you even spend any money? You just gave them a piece of cake..."

The merchant laughed heartily: "What's wrong with a pancake? A pancake can save his life."

After saying that, he took out half a half-eaten pancake from his satchel and called out, "Zhao Gou'er."

Zhao Gou'er, who was setting up the pot rack, immediately ran over: "Shopkeeper..."

The merchant threw the flatbread on the ground and said, "Eat it."

Zhao Gou'er rushed over, picked it up, and stuffed it into his mouth while thanking him.

"See? Being given food is an immense favor," the merchant said with a smile.

The other businessmen also laughed.

"Alright, it's time for us to eat."

Night fell, the bonfire blazed, and the air was filled with the aroma of cooking.

The merchants gathered together to eat meat.

The servants gathered around and drank soup.

The horses were also given new hay, and Zhao Gou'er squatted among the horses, quietly munching on his half-eaten pancake amidst the stench.

As the night deepened, the campfire grew dimmer, and the sallow complexion was swallowed by the darkness, but the undisguised eyes shone brightly in the night.

When you are very skilled, you have countless ways to hide.

But when you are nothing, there is no way to hide.

Because there was nowhere to hide.

Everyone seems to have forgotten that Wei Jiao's greatest strength is not in hiding his whereabouts, nor in killing without blinking an eye, but in surviving among crowds, especially among malicious crowds.

Wei Jiao chewed on the flatbread. The night grew darker, and the merchants fell asleep around the campfire. The world became quiet.

The quietness made him feel as if he were in the ocean.

Before his eyes, wave after wave of black seawater surged in, engulfing him.

He was deceived.

He was deceived by her.

She tricked him into delivering the letter.

She tricked him into getting married.

She lied to him.

She had been lying to him all along.

What's even more ridiculous is that he knew she was lying to him.

Then he followed her in deceiving himself, deceiving himself.

A good match.

He actually believed that statement.

That's so funny.

What is a good match?

His father and mother were once a good match.

The emperor and empress were once a perfect match.

What became of these seemingly perfect matches?
Who is Wei Jiao? How dare he think he'll find a good match?

In the darkness, he crouched among the horses, feeling laughter emanating from his entire body—a silent, yet palpable, maniacal laugh that roared and spread within him, threatening to burst forth from his eyes…

Wei Jiao reached into his pocket, took out a paper packet, poured the powder inside into his mouth, and swallowed it.

He can't go crazy yet.

He needs to stay clear-headed.

He is going to Wucheng.

As Wei Jiao swallowed the powder, another burst of wild laughter erupted from his mind.

That's so funny.

That's why she was so good at lying.

She tricked those people into thinking he was going to Longxi City, because in everyone's eyes, she was the wife of the Wei family.

But she didn't know, and those people didn't know, that he knew she wasn't Miss Yang.

Wei Jiao swallowed the powder, stuffed the paper packet into his mouth and chewed it bit by bit, his eyes fixed on Wu Cheng.

Prince Mo, you just wait.

I'm here to kill you!

I should have killed her when I first saw her in Zhao County!

That way, he will never believe her.

(End of this chapter)