His Highness the Madman gave in again today.

in the night.

The carriage sped away from the border town, heading towards Youdu City.

The border town is not far from Youdu, only a little over 100 kilometers away.

However, the mountain road was rugged, and the carriage could not pick up speed. After running all night, they had only covered half the distance.

Mo Sangyu sat in the carriage, swaying and able to doze off for a while, while Feng Xingyu drove the carriage outside, unable to close his eyes for even a moment.

She lifted the carriage curtain and said to Feng Xingyu, "Let's find a place to stop and rest for a while."

"Um."

Feng Xingyu stopped the carriage by a river.

In March, the rivers gradually thaw, but early in the morning, the weather is still cold.

He lit a bonfire, took out the dry rations prepared by Granny Yu, heated them by the fire, and then handed them to Mo Sangyu.

"Eat this for now. Once we get to Youdu City, you can have whatever you want to eat."

Mo Sangyu sat down on a large rock nearby, reached out and took the dry rations he was offered, tore off a piece and put it in her mouth.

"Have you ever been to Youdu City?" she asked casually.

These dry rations are a bit dry.

I can't swallow it.

A kettle appeared before them, and Feng Xingyu's indifferent voice rang out: "Eat with water."

"oh."

Mo Sangyu took the water bottle, took a sip, and then rinsed the dry rations down her throat.

Upon seeing this, Feng Xingyu let out a barely audible chuckle.

Having grown up in the capital, the greatest hardship he had ever endured in his life was probably during those two months in his prince's residence.

After she finished drinking the water, he slowly said, "I've been there once. At this rate, we should be able to get there before dark, but getting into the city is a bit of a hassle."

"How troublesome is it?"

"First, you have to go through a checkpoint. When you arrive at the city gate, you have to queue up to register and record the time and identity of your entry into the city. After that, the law enforcement officers in the city will give you a temporary identity card. This identity card has a time limit, which can be three days for short-term cases or seven days for long-term cases. If you want to stay in the city after the time limit expires, you have to register again."

Mo Sangyu frowned slightly upon hearing this.

This rule sounds very ahead of its time.

She put down the kettle: "What happens if someone doesn't have an ID card, or fails to register within the deadline?"

"Those without ID cards can't get in at all, and those who don't register within the deadline will be arrested by the law enforcement team."

Feng Xingyu tore off a piece of dry food and ate it slowly.

"The lightest punishment is a fine and expulsion, while the heaviest is imprisonment in the dungeon and forced labor. Therefore, there are almost no unregistered residents in Youdu City. Once a person enters the city, their whereabouts are under the control of the city lord's mansion."

Mo Sangyu nodded thoughtfully.

No wonder Youdu City has been able to stand firm amidst the interplay of various forces; besides its hard power, its avant-garde and rigorous management system is also key.

This allows it to both attract wealth and minimize infiltration and chaos.

It really is a tough nut to crack.

"Are temporary identity cards easy to obtain?"

"It's not difficult. As long as you pay the money and provide a general description of your origin and purpose for entering the city (don't make anything too outrageous), they will usually give it to you."

Feng Xingyu glanced at her and continued, "But if you want to obtain a long-term resident permit, or a higher-level merchant permit or guest permit, you need someone to vouch for you and prove that you have enough value to stay in the city."

He paused for a moment, then offered his advice: "This time, let's get short-term ID cards first, and then we'll see what happens next."

Mo Sangyu understood what he meant.

They're here to "scout out" the location, not to settle down.

A short-term identity is enough for them to conduct initial investigations.

However, once this city is conquered, the surrounding areas are the territories of different countries, and expansion will require careful and meticulous planning.

Otherwise, if things go wrong, they might attract a siege, which wouldn't be fun.

"When was the last time you came here?"

Mo Sangyu asked with some curiosity, "Why have you come?"

Feng Xingyu remained silent for a moment before saying, "Eight years ago, not long after I arrived at the frontier, I needed to buy a batch of urgently needed refined iron and medicine for the army. At that time... it wasn't this strict."

His tone was indifferent, but Mo Sangyu could tell the difference.

Eight years ago, he was a down-on-his-luck prince who had just arrived at the frontier and was subject to restrictions everywhere. Presumably, his entry into the city that time was not necessarily smooth.

She didn't ask any more questions, stuffed the last bit of dry food into her mouth, and swallowed it with water.

"We've rested enough, let's continue our journey."

She stood up and brushed the crumbs off her hands: "I can't wait to see this city."

To be precise, I wanted to meet this city lord.

Feng Xingyu also got up, stomped out the fire, and carefully cleaned up the traces.

The two returned to the carriage.

Feng Xingyu flicked the reins, and the carriage continued forward.

The sky gradually brightened.

As we got closer to Youdu City, the roads gradually became smoother and wider, and there were many more carriages and pedestrians coming and going.

Most of them looked like caravans, laden with goods, covered in dust from their journey.

As the sun gradually set in the west, the outline of a majestic city finally appeared on the distant horizon.

The city walls stand tall, built of a peculiar dark blue-green boulder that gleams with a cold, hard luster in the afterglow of the setting sun.

On the city wall, patrolling law enforcement soldiers and fluttering flags can be vaguely seen.

Sure enough, a checkpoint was set up a few miles in front of the city wall.

There were guards dressed in uniform red armor, carrying ice blades, who questioned and inspected each vehicle and pedestrian entering the city.

Feng Xingyu's carriage was lined up at the far end of the procession.

At first, there was only one line, but as it moved forward, the single line became a double line, with carriages in one line and pedestrians in the other.

Further ahead, the double rows became four rows, then five, then six, seven, and eight, forming a long line.

From a distance, the pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages stretched out in a dense, overwhelming mass.

Mo Sangyu lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside, her eyes widening in surprise.

This scene is no different from a severe traffic jam.

Are there really that many people entering Youdu City every day?

However, there are quite a few vehicles and pedestrians on the road leading out of the city, but there is no need for checks, so it is relatively smooth and visually appears less crowded.

Mo Sangyu stepped out of the carriage and sat down next to Feng Xingyu.

The sky gradually darkened.

Lanterns were lit up along the roadside.

It's just that it moves so slowly, taking forever to move even a little bit, which is really annoying.

Mo Sangyu stood up from the carriage: "I can't see, carry me."

She gazed ahead, and after speaking, received no response for a long time. Looking down, she realized that Feng Xingyu was still sitting there, so she pulled him up: "What did I say? Did you hear me?"

With that pull, she slipped and almost fell.

Feng Xingyu stretched out his long arm, put his arm around her waist, and pulled her back: "Madam, be careful."

She bumped into his arms, and through the fabric she could feel the strength and warmth of his chest.

Mo Sangyu steadied herself, but instead of immediately backing away, she patted his arm and urged, "Pick me up and let me see."

Feng Xingyu stiffened slightly and looked down at her.

The mask concealed most of his expression, leaving only his eyes visible, which appeared extremely deep in the deepening night and the glow of the lanterns.

"What are you looking at?" he asked in a lower voice.

"Look how far ahead we are, why is the traffic so bad?"

Mo Sangyu replied matter-of-factly, and seeing that he didn't move, she tugged at his sleeve again: "Hurry up, why are you such a disobedient servant? If outsiders see this, we'll be exposed."

Her tone was natural, tinged with impatience, as if the request were a matter of course.

Whose servant dares to embrace the lady?

Feng Xingyu remained silent for a moment, but finally obeyed. He put one arm around her waist and the other hand on her knees, and with a little effort, he lifted her up steadily and let her sit on his shoulders.

As the field of vision rose, it directly passed over most of the roofs of the cars in front, and the situation ahead could be seen clearly immediately.

The checkpoint was brightly lit, and the Red Armor Guards were conducting extremely thorough inspections, lifting the curtains of almost every vehicle to check them, and carefully examining and inspecting the goods.

Pedestrians, on the other hand, inspected the bags and questioned the passengers carefully.

"It seems that things haven't been peaceful in Youdu City lately."

Mo Sangyu said in a low voice, "Otherwise, they wouldn't be investigating so thoroughly."

"Well, we really came at a bad time."

Feng Xingyu held her steadily in his arms, his gaze also fixed on the checkpoint.

He wore a mask, stood tall and straight, and carried someone without any apparent effort. He stood out somewhat among the anxious crowd around him, attracting several inquisitive glances.

"Look over there."

Mo Sangyu suddenly pointed in another direction with his chin.

On the side of the checkpoint, there was an extremely narrow passage with almost no queues. Only a few ornately decorated carriages with special insignia passed by quickly, and the guards simply glanced at them before letting them through.

"Privileged access?"

"They should be holding a long-term high-level identity card, or they should be an insider of the city lord's mansion."

Feng Xingyu explained, "We're new here and can't go that way."

Mo Sangyu pursed her lips and said nothing.

Privileges will exist everywhere.

She watched him for a while longer, until her neck started to ache, then patted his shoulder and said, "Okay, put me down now."

Feng Xingyu did as he was told and put her down.

Sitting back down by the carriage, Mo Sangyu rubbed her neck: "How long will this take?"

"Go inside and get some sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there."

Feng Xingyu's deep voice carried a hint of a smile.

Mo Sangyu nodded: "Alright."

She went back to her car, closed her eyes to rest, and actually fell asleep.

When I woke up again, I heard people outside asking me questions.

"Where are you from? What are you doing in the city? Who else is on the bus?"

Immediately following was Feng Xingyu's calm and composed voice.

"Biancheng, bring my wife here for a few days to see the bustling scene of Youdu City and buy some good things in the city."

The red-armored guard walked to the carriage window and used his scabbard to lift the curtain.

Mo Sangyu leaned back in the car, lazily glancing up at him with a blank expression.

Seeing that she was indeed just a woman, dressed plainly, and with no extra items in the carriage, the Red-Armor Guards lowered the curtain.

"Is it your wife, or your wife's wife?"

Just when Mo Sangyu thought they would be allowed to pass, she heard the red-armored guard ask another question.

There was a hint of teasing in his tone.

"My wife."

Feng Xingyu replied without changing his expression, "I am merely the lady's slave."

"Are you a slave?"

The red-armored guard looked surprised.

"This is the first time I've seen a slave with such... extraordinary bearing."

"That's because my wife has an even more extraordinary temperament."

"Alright, no matter what your demeanor is like, remember to take off your masks when you register later. We need to see your real face, otherwise we can't issue you an ID card."