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

Tao'er's heart tightened, and she quickly pushed open the door, anxiously asking, "Young Master, why are you crying?"

Xiao Yan mumbled incoherently, "Sister Tao'er, Grandmother... Grandmother can't move!"

She's ignoring me now...

Waaaaah…”

Tao'er was startled. Could it be that the old lady was really... as she thought?

She bent down, trembling, and reached out to check her breath; she was no longer breathing.

He shakily withdrew his hand; the old lady was truly gone!

Although she knew the old lady would die, because she had dreamt of it, the fact that it was happening so realistically before her eyes still caused her a dull ache in her chest, a feeling she couldn't quite describe.

A wave of bittersweetness washed over him. He sniffed, sighed deeply, and bowed deeply to the old lady.

He then rubbed the little guy's head, his throat seemed to be stuck, and he stammered for a long time, "Ayan, the old lady......"

The old lady had been bedridden for a long time, and the news of the Prime Minister and his men's arrest made her so angry that she finally succumbed to her illness and passed away...

So the old lady passed away a few days earlier than in the dream.

"Sister Tao'er, what's wrong with Grandmother?"

Is she dead?

Waaaaah…”

Although Xiao Yan was young, he knew that his grandmother had been ill for a long time.

He guessed something from Tao'er's expression.

Tao'er knew she couldn't hide it anymore, so she could only nod.

"Ayan, don't be too sad. The old lady has been ill for a long time..."

Xiao Yan burst into tears.

Tao'er knew why the old lady had made this arrangement.

The First Madam couldn't protect Ayan at all; he was such an obvious target that he probably couldn't even leave the city gates of Shengjing.

But she was different. As a cook, she wasn't as conspicuous as the Prime Minister's wife, and the soldiers might not even recognize her. In short, she had a better chance.

That's why the old lady allowed her to leave with the young master.

The old lady probably guessed the fate of the Prime Minister's family members; the worst outcome might be beheading, and the best outcome might be exile to the harsh and cold northern border.

The others are alright, but Ayan is young and frail, so he definitely won't be able to withstand it.

Ayan is the only male heir in the Xiao family, and the old lady dares not gamble on him.

So he was willing to take the risk and let her take the young master away.

At least there is still hope for survival.

Tao let the little guy cry; it's better to cry when you're sad.

After Ayan had been crying for a while, Tao'er squatted down and said softly, "Ayan, you stay here with your grandmother. I'll go and call the First Madam and the Second Madam over."

Even though the old lady has passed away, the funeral still needs to be held.

Even if we can't have a grand funeral, we can still give him a proper burial!

At least for now, the emperor's decree has not yet arrived.

Ayan nodded twice, crying.

Tao'er got up and opened the door. She had just stepped into the courtyard and was about to inform the First Madam and the Second Madam when she saw flames everywhere and heard the sounds of fighting in the distance, with footsteps getting closer and closer to them.

She had a bad feeling.

The Imperial Guards have arrived ahead of schedule!

"Young master, bad guys are coming! Let's leave quickly!"

Tao'er quickly went back into the house and pulled up Ayan, who was still sobbing.

"I won't leave, Grandma..."

grandmother………"

Ayan refused to get up, clinging to the old lady's clothes and refusing to let go.

Tao'er was so anxious that she stamped her feet. If she didn't run now, it would be too late.

She acted decisively and ruthlessly pulled his hand away from the old lady's.

Without thinking twice, he picked up Ayan, slung the bundle over his shoulder, glanced back at the lifeless old lady on the bed, sighed, and climbed out the window.

Ayan was still crying, kicking his legs incessantly.

"Sister Tao'er is bad..."

I want my grandmother…

Tao'er was furious and slapped his bottom hard. "Your grandmother is dead. All she wanted was for you to live well."

"If you want your grandmother to die with unrest, then keep crying and attract those soldiers. Then even a god can't save you."

Ayan was finally intimidated by her words and stopped crying and making a fuss, though he still let out soft sobs.

It's normal for a five-year-old to be sad when his beloved grandmother dies.

They had just come out of the house and wanted to go in another direction, but they found that soldiers were also coming from the front, so they had to turn back and hide in the artificial cave in the nearest back garden.

It seems that the previous plan to leave the Prime Minister's residence early is now impossible.

The old lady's body is still in the house, but she can't care about that now.

We can only hope that the emperor won't be so heartless and will allow the old lady to be laid to rest.

I wonder what's going on with the second and third wives; they've probably been arrested most likely.

As Tao'er pondered these thoughts in the artificial cave, her mind raced, trying to figure out how to escape the mansion.

A squad of imperial guards had already rushed into Ayan's room.

Then came a search, during which the sound of porcelain breaking could be heard from time to time.

"Search! Don't let a single one escape!"

Tao'er hugged Ayan tightly, and the two held their breath, listening to the sounds outside.

"Ayan, you absolutely mustn't make a sound."

Ayan nodded obediently, knowing that people outside were looking for him.

Those people are fierce; they're definitely not good people.

So he clung tightly to Sister Tao'er, not daring to make a sound.

Ah Yan now knew the predicament of their Prime Minister's residence.

Sister Tao'er spanked him just now for his own good, to save his life.

"General Wei, we have not found the young master."

"What?"

Search for me!

We must find it, even if we have to turn the Prime Minister's mansion upside down!

The man's commanding voice seemed to carry an unyielding tone.

The footsteps grew closer.

This General Wei is probably the commander of the Imperial Guards, which are the same as the Feathered Forest Guards in the palace. This army is under the emperor's command.

It seems the emperor is determined to seize the property this time, and Tao'er suspects that the emperor is the biggest mastermind behind it all.

Tao'er shook her head, no longer speculating about these things. With a determined heart, she took out a composite crossbow and an arrow from her spatial storage.

If she is discovered, she will have no choice but to fight to the death.

"General Wei, we've discovered an artificial rockery and cave here. I wonder if the young master of the Xiao family is hiding inside?"

Tao'er and Ayan, who were hiding in the cave, were both very nervous.

Ayan clung tightly to Tao'er's clothes. Although it was pitch black and he was terrified, he knew that if he were discovered by the outside world, he might lose his life.

But his body still trembled uncontrollably, like a sieve.

Tao'er sensed the fear in the little one in her arms, gently squeezed his small hand, and whispered in his ear, "Ayan, don't be afraid, Sister Tao'er will protect you."

Ayan instantly felt a force being transferred to him, and he tried his best to control his small body, preventing it from trembling so violently.

He felt much more at ease, perhaps because of what Sister Tao'er said.

His body stopped trembling so badly. He grasped Tao'er's hand in return and whispered, "With Tao'er here, I...I'm not afraid!"

Tao'er was actually quite relieved that Ayan trusted her, even though she was also nervous and scared at the moment.

It seems that the feelings they've cultivated over the years haven't been in vain.

Just then, another voice rang out from outside, "General Wei, footprints have been found near this artificial hill, one large and one small."

Tao'er was startled. She had forgotten that there was indeed mud on the road outside the artificial hill, since there was a lotus pond next to it, so it was normal for there to be mud on the road.

They were so focused on escaping that they forgot they would leave footprints.

"You few lead the way into the cave to search, I'll bring up the rear."

Tao'er picked up the crossbow, ready to shoot them one by one, because there was no better way at the moment.

If she could, she would rather bring Ayan into the space, but she had tried it before when Ayan was asleep, and that method didn't work.

Only she can enter the space, but people cannot be brought in, while animals can.

As for the reason, she didn't know.

So she had no choice, but luckily there were dozens of arrows in the space.

The team that found this place was just a small group, probably around seven or eight people.

She fought desperately; perhaps she still had a chance to escape.

Just as she was in a state of high tension, someone else ran in to deliver a message.

"General Wei, it seems someone has found a little boy over there."

"lead the way………"

The group turned and left, their footsteps growing fainter.

Tao'er breathed a sigh of relief; she was finally gone.

His body went limp.

Ayan turned around and hugged Sister Tao'er tightly.

Just then, there was a cracking sound, as if Ayan had stepped on something.

A voice outside shouted, "General Wei, there's someone hiding in this cave!"

"I just heard a sound."

"Go in and search!"

The footsteps grew closer and closer once again...