Shuse Jinjia

The snow started falling in the middle of the night, and by dawn, the trees and rooftops were covered with a thick layer of snow.

The old locust tree in the yard had a thick layer of snow on its branches.

The snowflakes continued to fall, silently covering everything in the world.

Xie Zhaotang felt that the snow buried the noise and dust under its whiteness, leaving only a pure and peaceful place.

Looking at the snow falling all around her, she felt a strange sense of peace and tranquility.

Perhaps all the troubles and weariness, wars and diseases in this world can be gently soothed by such a snow.

Just like snow falling on the ground, it will eventually melt into water, seep into the soil, and nourish the plants and trees in the coming year.

She, too, will endure wind and snow, take root in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and sprout new branches the following year.

"Tangtang, it's snowing, it's so beautiful..."

Li Qin, who lived with her, came out at some point and was also amazed by the silver-clad landscape in the courtyard.

Xie Zhaotang laughed and said, "Yes, it's snowing. Winter has come, but can spring be far behind?"

These words had a double meaning. Huo Beiyu and his men had seized the prefecture and taken two cities that had been taken by the Great Yu Kingdom. It wouldn't be long before they could completely drive the Great Yu Kingdom out of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Once the war is over, they can return to the capital and live a peaceful and prosperous life.

Li Qin understood and cheerfully reached out to catch the falling snowflakes.

"Yes, spring will be here soon!"

As the two were admiring the snow scene, Liu Qi arrived.

He reported, "Madam Huo, last night I received a secret decree from the Emperor, instructing you to make arrangements to return to the capital as soon as possible."

"I sent a message to the young marquis by carrier pigeon. He asked me to escort you back to the capital."

Xie Zhaotang was stunned for a moment. Could it be that Murong Qing had done something again?

Seeing Xie Zhaotang's confusion, Liu Qi whispered, "When Murong Qing heard that the prefecture had been captured, she suspected that the person from the Marquis's mansion was not the young Marquis. She killed Feng Ying... By the way, the Gu she fed to the substitute before was the Heart-to-Heart Gu. If Feng Ying dies, the substitute cannot live either... But the Heart-to-Heart Gu has already been drawn out by Doctor Lu and planted on a dog."

Feng Ying died, and the dog died too; it was a case of dying together with the dog!

Xie Zhaotang's face twitched. If Feng Ying had known that this would be the outcome of her poisoning Bai Yu, would she still have done it?

"When Feng Ying died, Murong Qing realized she had been tricked and fled overnight. Fortunately, the old Valley Master Murong had already seen through his granddaughter's wicked intentions. In order not to implicate other innocent disciples of the Divine Doctor Valley, the old Valley Master kept a close watch on her and did not give her a chance to poison the Crown Prince."

"The Emperor has already dispatched the Black Dragon Guard to hunt down Murong Qing. He summoned you back because Physician Lu has come up with a way to save the Crown Prince, and he wants you to go back and confirm it."

Xie Zhaotang had already taught the doctor everything she needed to, so there was no point in her staying. She and Li Qin packed up and prepared to return to the capital once the snow stopped.

Shi Yue and her baby are still staying at the inn to recover after childbirth.

Xie Zhaotang had rarely interacted with her to avoid suspicion, but when he was about to leave, he would go over and say goodbye to her.

Shi Yue thanked Xie Zhaotang again for saving her and her son, and handed Xie Zhaotang a token.

"Madam Huo, if you or your descendants ever encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to the Western Que Kingdom with this token. As long as my Shi family exists, we will definitely repay your kindness with all our might."

Considering Huo Beiyu's recent act of defying the imperial decree, Xie Zhaotang didn't refuse and accepted the gift, saying, "Thank you!"

She may never need this token in her lifetime, but who knows what the future holds? If she can't use it, perhaps her descendants can!

This can be considered as giving them a way out!

The two exchanged a smile; some things didn't need to be explicitly stated, and their mutual understanding was enough.

The next day, Xie Zhaotang led Li Qin and Liu Qi back to the capital.

Although the snow had stopped, it hadn't melted yet. Liu Qi found two carriages. Xie Zhaotang and Li Qin rode in one, while the other carriage carried their luggage and food, in case they missed their lodging and had to camp in the wilderness.

On the first day, the carriages traveled along mountain roads, covering several dozen miles, and arrived at the post station just as it got dark, so no one had to spend the night outdoors.

They arrived at the post station smoothly for the next two days. On the third day, they encountered a landslide on the mountain road and could not reach the post station in time. The scouts sent out by Liu Qi found a dilapidated temple, and the group went to the temple to stay overnight.

When they arrived, the scout greeted them, saying, "General Liu, the dilapidated temple has been occupied by several refugees. I spoke with them, and they gave us the front room. We only need to give them half a sack of grain!"

They brought half a cartload of grain, so giving away half a bag wouldn't be a big deal. Liu Qi then sent his scouts to retrieve the grain from the cart.

Neither Xie Zhaotang nor Li Qin were pampered people. Along the way, the guards took care of them, and they did what they could to help.

Upon entering the dilapidated temple, Liu Qi instructed his guards to bring down a pot and build an earthen stove.

Xie Zhaotang and Li Qin were cutting cured meat when a guard brought a bucket of water from somewhere. Xie Zhaotang soaked the rice and started cooking it.

While she was busy, Xie Zhaotang had a feeling that someone was spying on her. She turned her head sharply and saw that the broken window was open, but there was no one in sight.

illusion?

Xie Zhaotang lowered his head and tended the fire again.

But the feeling of being spied on still lingers.

Xie Zhaotang recalled what the scout had said about the few refugees who had been in the dilapidated temple. Could they have been spying on him?

She casually put a few pieces of firewood into the earthen stove, then pretended to be looking for water and picked up the wooden bucket.

"Mrs. Huo, would you like some water? I'll go get some!"

A guard saw this and quickly stepped forward to take the bucket of water.

Xie Zhaotang didn't stand on ceremony, handed it to him, and walked up to Liu Qi, who was adjusting the saddle.

"General Liu, there were a few refugees in the temple before. Go and check on them discreetly, see if there's anything amiss!"

Xie Zhaotang, with his back to the dilapidated temple, lowered his voice and said.

Liu Qi frowned and lowered his voice, saying, "I just went to check. There were six of them, and they looked quite ordinary... Did Madam Huo discover anything unusual?"

Xie Zhaotang said, "I haven't had any contact with them yet, but I felt someone was spying on me through the window just now."

Liu Qi was Bai Shuo's subordinate. The Xuanlin Guard used to work as secret guards. What others considered ordinary could be fatal to them.

Liu Qi immediately became alert.

Normal refugees, seeing so many of them, would be too busy hiding to even think about spying!

"I understand, I'll check it out in a bit."

Liu Qi nodded. Seeing that he didn't think she was making a fuss, Xie Zhaotang chatted with him for a few minutes before going back.

Once the rice was cooked, Xie Zhaotang scooped out two bowls, and had the guards serve the rest.

After Xie Zhaotang and Li Qin finished eating, they came over to collect the bowls. Liu Qi pretended to bring the bowls to them and leaned close to her, saying, "There was a woman among those six people... They did have someone spying on you just now. Although the marks under the window were erased, they still left clues."

"You and Miss Li will sleep in the carriage later, so be careful!"

Xie Zhaotang thought of something and asked, "General Liu, if Murong Qing wants to go to Dayu, he should take this route, right?"

Liu Qi frowned, also recalling Murong Qing's escape.

Was there a woman among those six refugees?

Could it be that it's Murong Qing?