To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

Time slipped by little by little, and before we knew it, the sky outside the window had gradually darkened.

The lanterns on the street began to light up one by one.

"Oh dear, it's already dark!"

Ying Yinman glanced out the window and exclaimed in surprise.

I had sneaked out of the palace, and if I didn't go back soon, my father would really scold me!

"Good sister, I... my family is very strict, I have to go back." Ying Yinman stood up, her face full of reluctance, and held onto Mi Yueyao's hand tightly, refusing to let go.

"Go on, go home early so your elders won't worry!" Mi Yueyao gently tidied the stray hairs at her temples, her eyes full of affection.

"Then, sister, will you still be in the west of the city tomorrow? Can I come to visit you again tomorrow?" Ying Yinman asked expectantly.

"nature."

Mi Yueyao smiled charmingly, her beauty captivating. "I've had some free time these past few days. If you'd like to come, feel free to do so anytime. I'll treat you to the best roast goose in all of Xianyang at this Yingkelou restaurant!"

"It's a promise! See you later, sister!"

Ying Yinman was very happy and hurriedly ran downstairs.

Listen to Ying Yinman's footsteps disappear completely at the end of the street.

In the private room next door, Zhang Fan finally let out a long sigh of relief, covering his head with his hands.

So exciting!

He was about to reach up and wipe the cold sweat from his forehead!

Suddenly, a lazy voice came from next door.

"Young Master Zhang, after listening for so long... are you planning to hide behind the wall and eat roast goose the whole time? Hehehe..."

……

Kuaiji Commandery, Wu County.

As dusk fell, the evening breeze along the river carried a hint of dampness.

"Baked flatbread! Baked flatbread for sale! Flatbread fresh from the day before yesterday!"

In a street corner, a young man leaned listlessly against a stall, waving a tattered palm-leaf fan and calling out weakly:

"Ten coins each! Thirty coins for two! Buy now if you want, otherwise don't! Don't keep me from closing up shop!"

Several passersby stopped in their tracks upon hearing this, staring at the man as if he were an idiot.

"Hey, young man, you're quite handsome, what happened to your brains?"

An elderly woman carrying a basket scoffed, "Ten coins each, thirty coins for two? Do you think the people of Wu County are all clueless idiots who can't do math? Are you crazy for a scam?"

"With that kind of numerology, he's a street vendor? What a waste of that face!"

Hearing the jeers from passersby, the "man" simply rolled his eyes, snorted, and continued to lie on the stall.

He was none other than the Black Ice Guard Commander, disguised as a man—

Yu Miaoyan!

At this moment, Yu Miaoyan felt as bitter as if she were swallowing bitter herbs.

Since she discovered Zhang Fan's collusion with the Xiang family last week, she immediately sent a message to Xianyang via carrier pigeon.

I thought His Majesty would be furious and order a secret arrest or execution on the spot.

To everyone's surprise, His Majesty's reply consisted of only two light words:

Wait patiently!

"Waiting for a fool?!" Yu Miaoyan forced a bitter smile, feeling a surge of frustration.

Because Zhang Fan was accompanied by a large number of elite guards last time they followed him, their vigilance was extremely high.

The Black Ice Guard tracked them all the way to the entrance of the deep mountains outside Wu County, where spies were everywhere.

Their counter-surveillance capabilities are extremely formidable!

Both of the elite scouts she sent out inexplicably got lost in the mountains, and many even died.

Now look what's happened! The person is lost, and the trail has gone cold!

To avoid arousing suspicion from the local Xiang clan, Hei Bingtai had to take turns selling sesame cakes every day.

Of course I should set an example by taking the longest shifts!

"Zhang Fan...you scum of Qin! Traitor!"

As Yu Miaoyan vigorously kneaded the dough in her hands, she was mentally stabbing a voodoo doll at herself.

His Majesty trusted you so much back then, even entrusting the Imperial Academy of Physics to you! And what did you do? You ran off to the south to flirt with the rebels, hiding deep in the mountains, who knows what wicked scheme you're plotting...

We have failed the Emperor's grace! We have failed the Great Qin Dynasty!

The thought that Zhang Fan might be enjoying himself with some beautiful woman right now, while he had to stake out here, enduring the smoke and fire, selling pancakes, was unbearable!

Yu Miaoyan's eyes were a little red.

"Zhang Fan, I swear, I will kill you with my own hands!"

Yu Miaoyan gritted her teeth and muttered, kneading the dough in her hands into various shapes, as if it were not flour, but Zhang Fan's repulsive face.

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose from the end of the street.

"Get out of the way! All of you, get out of the way! Can you afford to take responsibility for offending such an important person?"

Several burly riders led the way, followed by a squad of fully armed guards.

Yu Miaoyan's eyes narrowed as she stared intently at the guards' tight-fitting clothes.

This special waist-cinching cut, and those hidden patterns... it's exactly the same as those guards who protected Zhang Fan in the deep mountains last time!

"It's here!"

Yu Miaoyan's heart skipped a beat, and her blood instantly boiled.

Just then, a snotty-nosed child sidled up to the stall and timidly said, "Uncle, I... I only have three coins, could I buy some scraps...?"

Without a word, Yu Miaoyan shoved the dough, which she had just kneaded into a messy shape, into the child's arms and whispered, "It's all yours now, hurry up and go!"

The child was stunned. Before he could even thank her, Yu Miaoyan had already grabbed her dark outer robe, and with a flicker, disappeared into the shadows of the alley.

Yu Miaoyan moved silently between the tiles and shadows, her gaze fixed on the luxurious carriages.

The convoy slowly came to a stop in front of Ji Honglou.

The place is brightly lit, filled with the sounds of birdsong, and frequented by dignitaries and nobles.

The carriage curtain was lifted.

A familiar figure stepped off the car.

That handsome face, that carefree attitude—who else could it be but Zhang Fan?

Next to get off the bus were two men with extremely strong presences.

The older man, with a powerful stride and a sinister yet domineering gaze, was none other than Xiang Liang.

Following behind him, though young, was already exuding a heroic aura—none other than Xiang Yu.

Yu Miaoyan hid in the shadows of the pavilion diagonally opposite Ji Honglou, and muttered coldly.

"Zhang Fan, so you really are hanging out with the remnants of the Xiang family..."

at this time.

Ji Dan glanced at the signboard of Ji Honglou, hesitated, and whispered, "Lord Xiang, isn't it a bit too ostentatious for us to come and go in this place so openly? What if the Qin court's Black Ice Guard notices us..."

"Hahaha! Immortal Master, you're overthinking it!"

Xiang Liang laughed loudly and patted him on the shoulder affectionately.

"Immortal Master, please rest assured! The entire Wu County is staffed by the eyes and ears of the Jiangdong people. If those rats from the Black Ice Terrace dare to show their faces, Xiang Yu's halberd will be the first to cleave them in two!"

After saying this, Xiang Liang lowered his voice and whispered mysteriously in Ji Dan's ear,

"Furthermore, does the Immortal Master know who we are here to see today?"

Ji Dan feigned surprise, then puffed out his chest, adopted a mysterious demeanor, calculated with his fingers, and said in a low voice, "Judging from Lord Xiang's certainty, could it be... that the person you are to meet today is Xianlu, a high-ranking official in Kuaiji County?"