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

The icy, piercing river water instantly submerged Tao'er, filling her ears with the gurgling sound of flowing water.

She frantically paddled and struggled to the surface, coughing violently and looking around anxiously.

"Ayan! Ayan!"

"Peach... Sister Peach... I'm here..."

Not far away, Ayan's little head popped out, struggling to paddle in the water, being carried downstream by the current.

Peach felt relieved and quickly swam towards him.

Fortunately, the current was not strong, and she quickly grabbed Ayan's arm.

The two dared not linger. Under the cover of darkness and the shadows of the riverbank, they drifted downstream, desperately paddling away from the spot where they had jumped out of the car.

On the riverbank, the light of torches gathered along the river, accompanied by furious roars.

Where are they?

How could it have disappeared so quickly?

"quick……

Search along the river...

Go downstream and block it!

"Damn it, jumping into the river in this cold weather? He's asking for it!"

The soldiers cursed as they searched downstream.

Tao'er and Ayan held their breath and tried to submerge their bodies in the water, leaving only their noses and eyes exposed, letting the current carry them for a while.

The icy river water took away my body heat, my teeth started chattering uncontrollably, and my limbs gradually became stiff and numb.

Ayan was young, and his face turned blue from the cold, making his movements increasingly slow.

We can't stay here; we have to get ashore, or we'll freeze to death even if we're not caught.

Tao'er pulled Ayan to swim to the riverbank under a big willow tree. Luckily it was night, and with the shade of the willow tree, they could rest for a while.

Seeing Ayan's condition, she quickly took out a water bag and handed it to him, saying, "Ayan, drink some water."

This is spiritual spring water; drinking it will warm your body.

Ayan took the water bag and drank a few mouthfuls, feeling that the stiffness in his body had eased a bit and the cold had dissipated somewhat.

Tao'er also took a few sips.

"Ayan, are you feeling any better now?"

"Sister Tao'er, I feel much better."

There are many people looking for us on the shore, what should we do?

Ayan knew that staying in the water all the time wasn't a solution.

He knew that Sister Tao'er would definitely have a solution.

"Don't be afraid, Sister Tao'er will have a way. Just hang in there a little longer."

Peach observed both sides of the river.

This is the back side near the dock, where many cargo containers and abandoned ships are piled up.

"I have an idea, Ayan..."

"What method?"

Sister Peach...

If there's really no other way, let's go to Grandpa Chen's house!

Ayan thought that no one had discovered that place yet.

"No, Ayan, we can't go back to the Chen family. It will be a burden to Grandpa Chen and the others."

Tao'er shook her head. Although this place wasn't far from the Chen family, they really couldn't disturb them in their current situation.

"Ayan, let's swim over there and then sneak back to the Prime Minister's residence."

The most dangerous place is the safest place.

With the temple fair just two days away, they'll have a chance to sneak out.

"Okay, I'll listen to Sister Tao'er."

Ayan's eyes lit up; those people definitely wouldn't go to that place.

After all, the entire Prime Minister's residence was burned down.

Tao'er and Ayan struggled to swim toward a shadowy spot on the shore where old fishing nets were piled up.

The two climbed ashore, soaking wet, and collapsed onto the cold ground, trembling all over. They were so exhausted that they could not speak, only panting.

She listened intently; the sounds of the pursuers seemed to be muffled by the bend in the river, but she could still hear some cursing and the sound of footsteps running back and forth.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the sound gradually faded into the distance, but the torchlight still flickered in the distance.

"Ayan, they've gone far away, let's go!"

Having regained some strength, the two crouched down and fled towards the Prime Minister's residence.

It took the two some time to arrive at the Prime Minister's residence.

Under the moonlight, only charred ruins remained of the Prime Minister's residence, standing silently in the night, emitting a strange smell of smoke and dampness.

The once imposing vermilion gate was tightly closed, and the official seals pasted on it trembled slightly in the night wind, like two pale prohibitions.

The main entrance is absolutely out of the question.

"Sister Tao'er, the gate is locked and sealed off. How are we supposed to get in?"

Ayan glanced at the vermilion gate and sighed silently.

"It's okay, if it's locked, it's locked. We'll find somewhere else to go in."

She was too tired to use the barbed wire to climb the wall.

Let's save this method for last!

Now, at least there are no soldiers chasing after us.

Ayan nodded, letting Sister Tao'er lead him.

Tao'er pulled Ayan to check the dog hole in the backyard, only to find that the dog hole was still blocked.

That's such a big rock, she probably can't move it, right?

Even if I could move it, I wouldn't want to waste the time.

Looking at the blocked dog hole, Ayan tilted his little face and asked, "Sister Tao'er, do you want to crawl through the dog hole?"

Tao'er chuckled self-deprecatingly and shrugged. "I'd like to squeeze in, but it won't let me!"

"How about we move the stone?"

Ayan saw through Tao'er's thoughts and offered his advice.

"This rock is too big and it's stuck so tightly. It's dark here, so let's just forget about it!"

Don't cut our hands.

Not worth it...

Isn't there a gate to the backyard? Didn't we go and check it?

Maybe we'll get lucky and find the lock on the back door!

Tao'er shook her head; she didn't want to use that method.

"Okay, Sister Tao'er, let's go take a look right away."

Ayan smiled, realizing he had almost forgotten there was a back door over there.

Generally, the housekeepers and matrons would bring in some items from the back door.

Furthermore, the swill and night soil from the mansion were also drained out through a small door in the backyard.

None of these will pass through the main gate.

Under the cover of shadows, the two skillfully made their way to the back alley.

The back door was ajar, the door was crooked, and it wasn't locked; the seal seemed to have been forgotten as well.

"Huh..."

The back door wasn't locked?

Ah Yan, we're lucky!

This was something Tao'er hadn't expected.

She had already decided that if this place was also locked, she would have no choice but to unlock it.

The back door lock is not as good as the front door lock; the front door lock is huge, and she can't open it either.

Besides, there's a seal on it.

The back door is usually not sealed, and very few people come here.

Everyone knows that the Prime Minister's mansion was burned down in a fire, so there was no gold or silver treasure inside.

Even thieves wouldn't bother to come here.

"Great, Sister Tao'er, the back door isn't locked, we can go in now."

The soldiers here certainly won't come to search.

Ayan's tone even became more lively.

The two of them barely escaped death tonight; it was incredibly dangerous.

"Okay, let's go in quickly!"

Although there shouldn't be many people coming here, it's best to be careful.

It would be bad if someone happened to pass by and saw them.

She gave it a gentle push, and a soft "creak" sounded particularly clear in the silent ruins.

At that moment, a coughing sound came from behind them, startling the two so much that they almost lost their souls.

The two turned around simultaneously. "Who?"