Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

The old man felt a pang of panic; his palms sweated profusely, but he forced a smile: "Sir, what's wrong?"

At this moment, the guard came over, bowing and scraping, a fawning smile plastered on his face. "Captain, is there something you need so late?"

Tao'er heard it too and knew that there was another person outside, and that he was an official.

She thought to herself: Good things really do come to those who wait. She and Ayan are just one step away from leaving the capital.

"Hmm, I came to check. Something big happened today. You better be on your guard."

The captain was putting on airs and speaking in an official tone, but he was just a lowly sixth-rank official with an air of authority.

Tao'er mentally complained.

Get out of here right now!

The two of them were suffocating inside, and the smell was awful.

"Yes, yes, yes, your subordinate will definitely guard against it at all costs, please rest assured, Captain."

The soldier stood respectfully to the side, waiting.

But in his heart he was also complaining: What are you doing running around in the middle of the night? It's so dark, aren't you afraid of falling to your death on the way?

The city gate captain snorted, ignoring the soldier guarding the gate, and walked closer to the sachet cart, tapping the wooden barrel on it with his scabbard: "Did you see anyone suspicious today?"

"No...no, sir."

The old man's voice trembled, "I get up before dawn to collect incense at night, and I've never seen anyone."

"Oh, right, sir, I just remembered. I only saw a group of soldiers tonight, they seemed to be looking for someone, I didn't see anyone else."

The captain glanced sideways at the disheveled and smelly old man, walked around the car, and scanned every corner with sharp eyes.

He even bent down to look under the cart, but found nothing, so he looked up again.

There were only two large buckets and one small one on the vehicle; nothing else.

The smell was just too strong.

He frowned, about to wave them on, when he suddenly noticed that the lid of one of the buckets didn't seem to be closed tightly.

He walked over and used the scabbard to lift the lid of the bucket, as if he wanted to check if anyone was hiding inside!

Peach, who was hiding in the bucket, had already taken out pepper spray from her spatial storage.

Since the city gates are already open, let's see if there's a chance to get out. I'm just afraid of causing trouble for the old man.

However, if the captain really discovers them, the old man and the two of them will all die.

Sigh, in the end, I dragged them down with me.

Tao sighed inwardly, wishing she had known...

Oh well, what's done is done. I wish I had known sooner. I'll wait and see.

She must not expose herself unless absolutely necessary.

She could tolerate the stench, but Ayan was only five years old, pampered and spoiled since childhood. How could he endure such suffering?

Ayan nestled quietly in Tao'er's arms, feeling nervous and scared, but mostly worried about the old man outside.

He wasn't killed by that soldier, was he?

"Sir, be careful!"

Just then, the old man suddenly shouted, "This bucket isn't sealed properly yet, it'll spill out!"

You'd better not get too close.

This thing is filthy; it's not good for it to come into contact with someone as important as you. It will bring a long period of bad luck.

Especially luck in wealth and romance.

But it was too late; the captain lifted the lid of the bucket, but only a little bit.

In that instant, an indescribable stench assaulted his senses, causing him to stagger backward and nearly vomit.

"You old geezer, put it on! Put it on now!" He waved his hand angrily and retreated a great distance in an instant.

He hasn't gotten married yet, and his luck with money has finally improved recently, so he can't afford to get involved with such filth.

The old man quickly stepped forward to close the lid of the bucket, apologizing repeatedly: "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Your Honor, the bucket isn't properly sealed yet...

"I'm sorry for the smell."

"You, close the city gate. The orders from above are that no one is allowed to leave the city tonight."

The captain covered his mouth and nose and spoke to the man guarding the city gate.

"Sir, I'm just a chamber pot cleaner, I can only go out at night!"

Otherwise, what am I going to do with these two buckets of night-blooming jasmine?

"Look, I've already reached the city gate, please let me through!"

The old man looked troubled and pleaded.

"You old codger, this is an order from above. Do you want to disobey?"

Do you not want this worthless life anymore?

Do whatever you want with that filth, it's none of my business!

"Take him back immediately, and don't let him leave the city."

The captain snorted and was about to kick the old man when a soldier guarding the city gate stopped him and said with a smile, "Captain, this old man is old, you don't need to get angry with him."

He didn't understand the seriousness of the situation.

It's getting late, you should go back and rest. I'll close the city gate now.

"Not a single mosquito will be able to fly out."

"Hmm, that's more like it."

Go and close the city gates quickly. The higher-ups have given a strict order: the city gates cannot be opened at night for the next few days; they can only be opened during the day.

Furthermore, everyone entering and leaving during the day must be thoroughly checked; it's better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.

The captain then refrained from using force and let the old man go.

The soldiers guarding the city dared not slacken their efforts and quickly ran over to close the heavy city gate.

As the old man watched the city gates slowly close, his heart sank to the bottom.

I was so close, so close to being able to help the descendants of my benefactor.

Tao'er and the others also heard the sound of the city gates closing, but they could only sigh in their hearts.

There's nothing they can do; it's a miracle they haven't been discovered yet.

"Sir, the city gates are closed. You should go home and rest early!"

There are subordinates here.

The captain nodded in satisfaction, then glared at the old man and cursed, "You old geezer, what are you still standing here for?"

It stinks horribly, hurry up and take these back.

Get out of here...

The old man knew there was no other way, so he had to think of another solution.

Anyway, leaving the city is impossible.

He nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, yes... I'll be leaving now."

Having said that, he dared not linger any longer, turned around, and dragged the cart away in the opposite direction.

The captain spat on the ground, "What bad luck!"

It stinks horribly! I need to wash myself properly when I get home.

After venting his anger, he turned to the soldier and said, "You better keep a close watch. If the prisoner escapes, you'll lose your head."

"Your subordinate understands, please rest assured, sir."

The soldier immediately responded respectfully.

"If you can catch the criminal, you'll be richly rewarded, and you'll live a life of luxury with me from now on."

The captain patted the soldier on the shoulder and said.

The soldier nodded repeatedly.

If it weren't for the Third Prince's strict order, he wouldn't have bothered coming here in the middle of the night; he would have already been lying in the arms of Lan Ji, the top courtesan at Zui Hua Lou.

The captain finally left.

"Pah! You hypocritical bastard!"

They even helped them make money, and it was already a favor if they didn't deduct their allowances on a regular basis.

Most of the extra silver he received at the city gate went into his pocket, leaving none for the others.

Fifteen minutes later, the old man carefully observed his surroundings before opening the lid and calling out softly, "Young lady, young master, please come out quickly!"

Tao'er immediately carried Ayan out, and then climbed out herself.

"Sister Tao'er, I feel so bad..."

Tao'er's heart tightened upon hearing this, but before she could ask any questions, she saw A-Yan fall to one side.

Tao'er quickly caught him and called out anxiously, "Ayan... Ayan..."