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

Tao'er felt Ayan getting closer and closer to her, probably because she was really scared, but she still forced herself to stay strong.

Tao'er thought that this cave only had one exit, and she and Ayan had no way to escape.

Even if she had a crossbow, she wouldn't be able to guarantee success.

For her and Ayan's safety, we must come up with a foolproof plan.

She led Ayan and slowly moved him inside.

Voices could be heard intermittently.

"Hey, Liu Zi, are you sure you heard me right? It's pitch black in there. Would that young master dare to hide inside?"

"Won't there be rats in here?"

"I'm not afraid of rats, I'm afraid of snakes..."

"Stop talking nonsense and get moving forward."

General Wei gave a cold shout.

Tao'er had a sudden inspiration and started meowing like a cat.

"Meow………"

"Meow………"

While imitating a cat's meow, it slowly moved inside.

"General Wei, we've gone so far, and there's not a soul in sight."

"Maybe it was the commotion caused by that cat catching the mouse earlier."

"People can hide here during the day, but at night it's pitch black. How could that young master, a five-year-old child, dare to come here?"

General Wei thought about it and agreed, then asked, "

"Liu Zi, did you even hear what that sound was?"

"Reporting to the general, I don't know either, I just heard a sound."

"You're talking nonsense without even hearing clearly; isn't that just delaying things?"

"Go and collect your twenty lashes after work!"

The footsteps faded into the distance until they could no longer be heard at all.

Tao'er then felt that she had been given another chance at life.

Taking advantage of the Imperial Guards heading in another direction, Tao'er and Ayan quietly slipped out from behind the artificial hill, proceeding cautiously until they finally hid in a small hut next to the kitchen where miscellaneous items were stored.

This place is filled with dilapidated tables and chairs and discarded kitchen utensils, and few people come here usually.

Tao'er had noticed before that there was an inconspicuous hidden compartment in the corner of the cottage, which she discovered by chance.

This place is not easy to be discovered. After all, it is not the Prime Minister's warehouse where there is money to be made. They just look around casually and do not stay for too long.

Which of the officers and soldiers confiscating property didn't want to take the opportunity to skim some cash? Even a little bit hidden on their person would be more than the silver issued by their superiors.

She moved aside several broken baskets and found the hidden compartment.

The space inside wasn't large, but it was enough for her and Ayan to hide there temporarily.

"Ayan, we may have to stay here for a while."

Are you scared?

Tao asked in a low voice.

Ayan shook his head, his little hands gripping her clothes tightly: "With Sister Tao'er here, I'm not afraid."

In the darkness, Tao'er gently patted his back and took out a small piece of chocolate and a bottle of water from her spatial storage.

Ayan had never eaten chocolate before. He ate it in surprise, taking small bites, his eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Chocolate can provide a good source of energy, so Tao'er gave it to Ayan.

Cries and the sound of things breaking could be heard from outside.

The Prime Minister's residence is being raided, and all his property is being confiscated.

These lackeys of the imperial court wished they could tear down the entire Prime Minister's residence.

About an hour later, the noise outside gradually subsided.

Peach looked out through the crack in the hidden compartment. It was already dawn, and occasionally the footsteps of the Imperial Guards could be heard passing by.

These people kept causing trouble for most of the night and didn't leave.

Tao'er leaned against the wall, her eyes closed, thinking of the three men from the Xiao family who were imprisoned in the imperial prison, wondering how they were doing.

I imagine they'll suffer a lot of physical pain!

Anyone who goes into that kind of place will either die or be severely injured.

In those places, if you have money to bribe your way out, you'll suffer less; but if you don't, you're basically doomed.

The jailers there were eager to make enough money to squeeze every last drop of blood out of them.

"Sister Tao'er, what if Mother and Cousin Qingyu have been arrested?"

When Ayan thought of his mother and the others, the chocolate in his hand suddenly didn't taste so good anymore.

He felt terrible; his father hadn't come back, nor had his second and third uncles.

I don't know how my mother and the others are doing, or if they are safe.

"Ayan, even Sister Tao'er doesn't know."

Stay here and don't move.

No matter what sound you hear, you don't need to come out. Just tell me if you heard it.

I'm going out to gather some information.

Tao'er shook her head, then instructed Ayan before quietly slipping out of the secret compartment and eavesdropping behind the door of the small house.

Imperial guards are reporting.

"General Wei, all personnel from the Prime Minister's residence have been registered and are being escorted to the Ministry of Justice prison to await trial."

"Where is that child?"

"What we found in the woodshed was a servant boy of about ten years old, not the young master."

"I guess it's hidden somewhere, but we've searched the entire mansion..."

The man lowered his head and stammered.

"They're all idiots, you can't find a single one of them."

"Your subordinate deserves to die!"

"Keep searching!"

We demand to see him alive or dead!

Even if we have to turn the Prime Minister's mansion upside down, we must find that person today.

I refuse to believe he can fly or disappear into the earth.

"Yes, I will immediately send more men to search."

Tao'er quietly retreated to the hidden compartment.

It seems the Imperial Guards haven't given up searching for Ayan.

They must leave the Prime Minister's residence as soon as possible, or they will be discovered sooner or later.

The question is, how do I leave?

The mansion was heavily surrounded, with the Imperial Guards guarding all exits, including the back door.

Even the dog hole was blocked up tightly; they saw it when they escaped.

She had originally planned to take advantage of the darkness and lead Ayan through a dog hole to leave.

Now you can't even crawl through a dog hole.

Damn it, the dog hole is blocked!

A bunch of beasts!

Tao'er cursed angrily.

The Imperial Guards are conducting a thorough search during the day, so it will be very difficult for them to escape.

But it's good, I can rest for a while, recover my strength and relax.

"Ayan, come here, lean on me, close your eyes and rest for a while."

Tao'er coaxed Ayan.

Ayan glanced at Sister Tao'er, nodded, nestled in her arms, and slowly fell asleep.

Tao'er took out a goose down comforter from her spatial storage and wrapped A-Yan tightly in her arms.

Ayan's body temperature gradually rose, and he was no longer feeling cold.

Tao'er closed her eyes, wanting to rest, but she couldn't fall asleep no matter what she did.

I have many things on my mind.

First of all, we don't know what they plan to do with the old lady's body.

No matter what, the old lady was a first-rank imperial consort. Even if the emperor was heartless, he still had to put on a show.

It's impossible not to even give them a modicum of dignity.

She wasn't worried about that.

The problem is that we can't hold a grand ceremony, and we don't know if the descendants of the Xiao family will come to see him off on his final journey.

She shook her dizzy head.

Thinking back on the memories of her dream, she wondered if she could come up with a good way to escape from the Prime Minister's mansion with Ayan.